Opinion The buck stops with everyone

Union Home Minister P. Chidambram is right when he urges both the Centre and the states to work in tandem,but the statement loses some of it effect when he puts “primary responsibility” on the state governments. The responsibility lies equally with both the Centre and the states. The problem has more than one dimension: local,state,inter-state,national and international; they are all closely interlinked,equally vital and cannot be ignored. The buck stops neither with the West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee for the Maoist violence in West Bengal,nor with Chidambaram for the massacre of the CRPF personnel in Dantewada in Chhattisgarh. Unfortunately,partisan politics are still clouding the issue. The general secretary of the Congress Party,Digvijay Singh,has no hesitation in putting the blame exclusively on the state government and in even having a dig at his own party’s home minister for sharing the blame with the state government. He would like Chidambaram to go back to his predecessor’s policy — who,after every massacre by the Maoists,kept on repeating the mantra that law and order was a state responsibility under the Constitution and the

Centre could do very little except to offer assistance to the states. What he,however,did not say was that under the

Constitution it was for “the Union government to protect the states against external aggression and internal disturbance” under Article 355. If the state government has an important role,so does the Union government.

The Maoist agenda is not confined to any one state even if some of them are more affected than the others. The Maoists have made their intentions quite clear: nothing short of a revolutionary movement to overthrow the democratic system by violent struggle. One shudders to imagine what would happen if they are able to build sanctuaries and routes for the supply of arms and explosives in Nepal on the lines of what Pakistan’s ISI is doing for jihadi groups in India. Only the Central government can deal with these interstate,national and international dimensions.

A multi-dimensional problem can only be tackled by a multi-prong strategy. There are no short cuts. Left extremist violence has been with us since the colonial period. The extremists were very active in the erstwhile Hyderabad state at the time of Independence. Left wing extremism has undergone many changes since then. It assumed a national dimension after the eruption in Naxalbari in Darjeeling district in 1967,though it was still confined mainly to West Bengal for some years.

It was somewhat controlled in West Bengal but it soon spread to Bihar,Orissa and some districts of Maharashtra. Since September 2004,when the two major groups,People’s War Group and the Maoist Communist Centre merged to form the Communist Party of India (Maoist),there has been a sharp escalation in Maoist violence.

Unfortunately,intelligence and office-bound officers who have never seen an actual “operation” nor have any field experience are calling the shots in New Delhi. Reading books cannot be a substitute for field experience. We have the successful Mizoram,Punjab and Andhra Pradesh models from which to draw the right lessons — but these “security experts”,not accountable to anyone for incorrect advice,are influencing policies and strategic decisions as never before.

Peace and development are two sides of the same coin,and have to be pursued simultaneously and not one after the other. If in the Maoist controlled areas,the government is unable to take up development projects,what prevents the government from taking up development works in neighbouring areas where the Maoists do not pose any serious threat? If the administration takes the task of delivering essential services and building roads in these areas,it won’t take long before the Maoists lose their support base even in the areas which they today control. Land and forest laws should be suitably amended and firmly implemented to give the inhabitants a share in the produce.

The whole police infrastructure in the worst-affected areas is in need of a total overhaul,on the lines of the Andhra Pradesh model. Special forces should be created in the states. To be effective,they should be an integral part of the state police. Central forces cannot be as effective as state special forces. Outside forces have little chance of success without the help of the local population. They become easy targets of an ambush on a road where the Maoists have a free run in the surrounding area. They are also more vulnerable on inter-state borders. Local intelligence about the movements of the extremists is not easily available to the outside force. Induction of the army or the use of air force in direct operations is a recipe for disaster. The “enemy” has first to be identified,otherwise there is a great danger of hurting the civilian population,which in turn would only generate more hostility.

Leadership at the operational level plays a key role. Postings in these areas should not be treated as punishment postings. It is possible to get the right type of officers with experience and commitment if adequate incentives are given. It must be appreciated that muddling through is no longer an option. The problem is still manageable but only if handled properly on the ground. We should be prepared for a long haul.

The writer is a former governor of Jharkhand