An empty seat

The most elusive element in the fight against Naxal extremists has been joint political resolve. Unless every single affected state government is in the loop,Naxals hounded in one state will simply cross borders to find refuge elsewhere. When the Andhra Pradesh government which had in 2004 taken a political decision to allow surrounded Naxal leaders in the northern forests to escape finally cracked the whip,Naxal cadres crossed the states borders and regrouped elsewhere. This is why Fridays review meeting in Chhattisgarh was so critically important. The meeting,taken by Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram,included Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik,Maharashtra Home Minister R.R. Patil,and host Chief Minister Raman Singh. Patnaiks presence was crucial,given that his urbane notes of compromise have formed the backdrop for Naxal atrocities in his state most painfully when 300 armed Naxals laid siege to the BALCO mines. It is hoped that his presence indicates a changed attitude.

But if the meeting was a show of strength of states affected by Naxal violence,there was one seat empty. The new Sibhu Soren government in Jharkhand has decided to halt operations against the Naxalites just when a crackdown is due. Reports suggest that it has put off patrolling,that paramilitaries are being made to wait,and that the Special Task Force trained to take on Naxals is killing time in the barracks. The results were immediately evident: in a landmine blast last Friday,eight policemen were murdered.

Political apathy makes worse two existing coordination problems in tackling Naxals. Apart from the worry that Jharkhand is becoming a safe haven for Naxals on the run elsewhere,there is a second concern about relations between state governments and Central paramilitary forces. Although 28 CRPF companies are stationed in Jharkhand,they are being made to wait by the state government,under whose direct command they must,by law,operate. So inaction which may well be deliberate on the part of the Soren government results in the waste of valuable Central resources that would otherwise have been deployed against the Naxals. Even one weak link,as Jharkhand is fast turning out to be,imperils the entire operation. Bringing Jharkhand on the same page is key to progress.