The pattern of ambush and heavy fire at convoys of policemen and politicians by Maoists reveals the ideologically-driven rebels are on the warpath with deadly objectives in a vast forested region that is not easily policed or protected. It is a Catch-22 situation as going with intent after the extremists triggers even more attacks, and in different states, leading to a seemingly never-ending cycle of violence.
If the “revolutionaries” were only fighting for political legitimacy, it would have been simpler to offer talks and try to find solutions within an acceptable framework and in a peaceful atmosphere. But it is apparent that they will not abjure violence and they have gone too far down the road of anarchy, particularly after the landmark incident in Chhattisgarh in which 28 people, including Congress leader Mahendra Karma, who started the anti-Naxal movement Salwa Judum, were massacred.
The difficulty lies in choosing the weapons of control. Even the very thought of helicopter attacks were shot down because the state cannot be seen firing indiscriminately at its own people. Nor can drone attacks be envisaged when it appears this is a difference of perception in terms of unequal development of a people who have been left largely to their own devices when it comes to livelihood and sustenance.
The Naxal conundrum in a changing world is the country’s biggest bugbear, but then politicians also have a way of forgetting follow-up action after special development plans for underdeveloped places are aired with pomp and pageantry. Such issues are never solved by confrontation. The need for dialogue is ever pressing.