Nitishs nuanced line on Maoists faces its first test

As the only CM of a Naxal-hit state to strike a different note in the Govts response to violence unleashed by the rebels Nitish Kumar faces his toughest test.

As the only Chief Minister of a Naxal-hit state to strike a different note in the Governments response to violence unleashed by the rebels,Nitish Kumar faces his toughest test.

Kumar has always been in favour of giving politics and development priority over the use of force against the Naxals. Bihar did not show the same enthusiasm as other affected states when the Centre decided to go for coordinated attacks against the Naxals. In an interview to The Indian Express,Kumar said: Let the Centre do what they want. We have our own ways to tackle Naxalism by getting to the root of the problem.

Soon after becoming Chief Minister,Kumar launched Aapki Sarkar,Aapke Dwar police in the Naxal belt,hoping development would tilt the scales against the rebels.

No special forces were raised to deal with the Naxals. The Bihar government did not go for police operations against known Naxal hideouts in Lakhisarai,the forests of Jamui,Adhura hills in Kaimur and Aurangabads Madanpur and Deo areas.

The state government showed no urgency in expediting the trial of Jehanabad jailbreak mastermind Ajay Kanu and Maoist leader Pramod Mishra. In 2006,the government did not accept a police proposal for speedy trial of Kanu inside Beur jail.

As many as 33 of the 38 districts of the state are now Naxal-affected.

Reacting to reports on the killing of SI Abhay Yadav,Rajiv Ranjan Singh Lalan,once considered close to Nitish Kumar and now a JDU rebel,said: The Chief Minister has no plan to tackle the Maoist problem. One cannot figure out whether he is in favour of Maoists or against them.

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He should acknowledge moral responsibility for Yadavs murder if he is a sensitive man. But I know he will not do it, Lalan told The Indian Express.

He said the Lakhisarai operation against the Naxals appeared to be ill-conceived. It should have been planned at the highest level,but nothing of that sort happened. Police personnel were pushed into the operation without any proper strategy, he alleged.

Lalan said while Kumar,in his speeches,attributed Maoism to lack of development,not much had changed on the ground. From roads to drinking water supply to health care facilities,nothing has improved in Naxal-affected areas. The bureaucracy,which has a stranglehold on his government,has ensured status quo, he claimed.