Kidnappers

Abductions give Maoists headlines but look how fast they are losing support

Abductions give Maoists headlines but look how fast they are losing support

The abductions of Laxmipur MLA Jhina Hikaka in Orissa and of Sukma collector Alex Paul Menon in Chhattisgarh are desperate acts of brazenness and attention-seeking. They are not proof of reinvigorated Maoist strength. The renewed burst of violence across states may,in fact,be a flailing by insurgent groups that are losing support even in constituencies perceived to be sympathetic to their cause,if not their methods. It is telling that of the three mediators on the Chhattisgarh Maoists wishlist,two Prashant Bhushan,Supreme Court advocate and Team Anna member,and Manish Kunjam,president of the All India Adivasi Mahasabha have turned down the invitation. Some from the group that lent its weight to Writ Petition 250 of 2007 in the Supreme Court,which prohibited Chhattisgarh from using SPOs against Naxalites,have called for the unconditional release of Hikaka and Menon and underlined the Maoists lack of respect for human rights and democratic processes.

If emboldening the Maoists with a lazy and half-hearted approach was Orissas fault,Chhattisgarh could not be farther across the same spectrum. However,the two states so disparate in their anti-Naxal readiness and response,and thus in outcomes have been connected by the twin abductions. While there are real and painful difficulties in negotiating a hostage release,the state can portray itself as weak or willing to keel over only at its own peril.

Left-wing extremism continues to pose an enormous challenge to the writ of the Indian state. And yet,their targeting of individuals associated with the uplift and development of troubled areas,such as Hikaka and Menon or Vineel Krishna last year underlines that they feel threatened by the work of such individuals and their institutions,representing state outreach in neglected areas; it robs them of their narrative of the absent or exploitative state. Indeed,there have been strong protests against the abductions by local residents. Despite the capitulation of the Naveen Patnaik government,Maoists hold Hikakas fate in their hands. The Chhattisgarh and Orissa governments,therefore,must negotiate carefully and earnestly but they can ill afford to let the Maoists get away with the faintest sense of victory. Especially when they are beginning to look so desperate and isolated.