Chhattisgarh authorities surprised at Maoists demand for development, police cautious on intent, authenticity of note

In a radical change from their original position vis-a-vis the state, the Maoists have demanded development in one of their strongholds in Bastar from the new Chhattisgarh government. This is the first of its kind demand by the Maoists who have so far refused to have any truck with the state.[caption id=“attachment_5501991” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image of Maoists. AFP[/caption] Maoists, who are known for not wanting government’s presence or intervention in any form in their territories, have surprisingly demanded development through hand-written pamphlets, which went viral on WhatsApp on Wednesday. The list comprising 17-point demand—accessed by Firstpost-- has been released by the Paamed Area Committee of the CPI (Maoist). Paamed is a Maoist stronghold in Bijapur, one of Chhattisgarh’s most volatile Naxal-hit districts. Both the district administration and the locals were surprised when they found these hand-written pamphlets. The ultra-Left cadre has asked the state government to open schools, primary health centres and provide employment to youths in Paamed. The local committee of the CPI (Maoist) has asked the government to re-open ‘3,000 schools’ — precisely 2,918 schools across Chhattisgarh, including 782 in Bastar region — which were shut down by the previous Raman Singh government under ‘School rationalisation programme’ in 2015. Simultaneously, the list of demands states, that the government should provide all kinds of facilities to residential schools (ashrams) meant for tribal children. Among others, the Naxals have also demanded that the vacant posts of teachers and doctors be filled up, implementation of women’s safety act, removal of police and security force camps being set up in the name of development, and non-recruitment of local tribals in District Reserve Guards (DRG) of Chhattisgarh Police and Bastariya Battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). Both the Chhattisgarh Police and the CRPF have recruited local Adivasi youths in DRG and Bastariya Battalion in large numbers due to their knowledge of the terrain and local dialect to combat Maoists. This strategy has given security forces an edge over the Maoists. The Naxals have also underlined that the Adivasis should get the rights over ‘Jal-Jungle-Zameen’ (water, forest, land). “We’ve come across such hand-written pamphlets and we’re investigating its source and authenticity. Undoubtedly, it’s a surprising move by Maoists as they are against development of any kind. They’ve always opposed the construction of roads, as they consider it their biggest enemy. However, as these pamphlets have been found in Paamed area which is a Maoist stronghold, it’s not possible for any outsider to put it there,” Vivekananda, inspector general (Bastar range), Chhattisgarh Police told Firstpost. The previous BJP government in the last five years created a network of roads, built an airport, a skilled city, an education hub, a multi-speciality hospital, a BPO and a digital village at the erstwhile Naxal stronghold of Palnar. Having been pushed on the backfoot after shrinking of their cadre base due to the loss of foot soldiers in encounters with security forces in Dandakaranya region, the Naxals might be giving an indication to the government that they are willing to change ways. Or, is it a tactical ploy to deviate the government’s attention and buy time to regroup themselves, and launch fresh attacks? “Government wants development in Bastar and Maoists are the biggest hurdle in the process. We’re trying to find out what compelled them to ask for development in their area, which they have been opposing for decades, or whether it’s a ploy. However, there can’t be anything better, if good sense prevails,” the IGP said. The cadre recruitment drive of the Maoists across the Red Corridor, including Bastar has also been hit due to the relentless offensive by the security forces. “This move may be their strategy to gain the sympathy of the locals as the villagers have now become aware of the ulterior motives of the Maoists and how they have blocked development for years. For their survival, the Maoists also need local support,” a senior government official remarked on the condition of anonymity. Meanwhile, the Maoists, who have been observing ‘Navjan Kranti Saptah’ – a weeklong programme (25 to 31 January) opposing the Republic Day and democratic government, have called for a ‘Bharat Bandh’ on 31 January. According to police reports, they had put two road-construction equipment on fire near Neelvaram village in Sukma on 29 January and issued death threats to contractors and labourers, if the latter continued with the construction of road. Simultaneously, in a bid to step up their aggressive posturing, the Maoists have created roadblocks at many places across the seven districts in Bastar and burnt a Telangana state transport bus and a truck on Sukma-Telengana border on 29 January. According to intelligence sources, on the same day, the Maoists held a meeting of villagers on Andhra-Odisha border, asking the latter not to cooperate with the government and support their ‘revolutionary movement’. Given the ongoing anti-establishment activities of the Naxals in the Maoist-hotbed Bastar, their demand for development raises questions on their actual motive. It needs to be seen how the Congress government that wrested power from the 15-year-long Raman Singh government tackles the Naxal problem in Chhattisgarh.