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Beyond law and order

Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil has virtually sprung a surprise by tabling in Parliament a policy note on dealing with the naxalite problem. It is unfortunate that there has been no discussion or consultation with the affected States, not to speak of a consensus. Of course, Mr. Patil and his Ministry must be in constant touch with the naxalite-affected States, and the Home Secretary chairs a special cell and periodically meets the State Directors General of Police. At a time when the Chief Ministers of the "naxalite corridor" States extending from Andhra Pradesh to West Bengal have been calling for a national policy to deal with the problem, Mr. Patil has stopped with placing a document on the table of the House. There is nothing new in the 14-point policy, except a statement that there will be no peace talks with naxalite groups unless they agree to give up violence. Land reforms have been identified as a priority area and political parties advised to strengthen their base and activities in the "infested areas." The policy acquires significance in the context of the surge in violence in recent weeks in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. Not only was a passenger train "hijacked" by a naxalite group, but the attack on people's movements such as the Salwa Judum in Chhattisgarh, has unnerved even the tribal population, whose cause the extremists are supposed to espouse.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy's bold initiative of having a dialogue with representatives of the Maoist groups, showed up the extremist outfits as being not really serious about addressing substantive issues. Moreover, the neighbouring States started complaining that naxalite activities in their areas were on the rise. Eventually, the talks broke down and the Maoists were back in business with greater vigour. The storming of a prison in Bihar to release detained naxalites, the attack on the Salwa Judum activities, and the most recent landmine explosion that killed some policemen have all had a chilling effect on public and administrative morale. It is time that not only the Centre but also the State Governments put in place a coordinated plan to deal with the problem. Protection of innocent people and public property that ought to get paramount importance has been pushed down in the scale of priorities by, among other things, provision of security to VIPs. The task of bringing about much better coordination and cooperation among the States brooks no delay, especially in areas such as sharing of intelligence and close monitoring of the borders. The State police must break away from their law and order mindset and adopt a positive and friendly approach so as to win the confidence of those sections of the population that remain alienated from the administration and provide a support base for the naxalites. Of course, permanent peace requires bringing the Maoists to the negotiating table and encouraging them to join the political mainstream.

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