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By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 11:29:11 am

Gadchiroli SP declares Maoist menace ‘almost over’

Mumbai: In a resounding statement signalling a historic shift, Gadchiroli Superintendent of Police (SP) Neelotpal has declared the district, once the dark heart of the ‘Red Corridor,’ is on the verge of becoming completely free of the Naxal menace. The SP expressed absolute confidence in the complete eradication of the banned CPI (Maoist) presence, noting that the remaining cadres have dwindled to a mere handful. “There has been a sea change in the situation,” SP Neelotpal stated,...

Gadchiroli SP declares Maoist menace ‘almost over’

Mumbai: In a resounding statement signalling a historic shift, Gadchiroli Superintendent of Police (SP) Neelotpal has declared the district, once the dark heart of the ‘Red Corridor,’ is on the verge of becoming completely free of the Naxal menace. The SP expressed absolute confidence in the complete eradication of the banned CPI (Maoist) presence, noting that the remaining cadres have dwindled to a mere handful. “There has been a sea change in the situation,” SP Neelotpal stated, highlighting the dramatic turnaround. He revealed that from approximately 100 Maoist cadres on record in January 2024, the number has plummeted to barely 10 individuals whose movements are now confined to a very small pocket of the Bhamragad sub-division in South Gadchiroli, near the Chhattisgarh border. “North Gadchiroli is now free of Maoism. The Maoists have to surrender and join the mainstream or face police action... there is no other option.” The SP attributes this success to a meticulously executed multi-pronged strategy encompassing intensified anti-Maoist operations, a robust Civic Action Programme, and the effective utilisation of Maharashtra’s attractive surrender-cum-rehabilitation policy. The Gadchiroli Police, especially the elite C-60 commandos, have achieved significant operational milestones. In the last three years alone, they have neutralised 43 hardcore Maoists and achieved a 100 per cent success rate in operations without police casualties for nearly five years. SP Neelotpal highlighted that the security forces have aggressively moved to close the “security vacuum,” which was once an estimated 3,000 square kilometres of unpoliced territory used by Maoists for training and transit. The establishment of eight new police camps/Forward Operating Bases (FoBs) since January 2023, including in the remote Abujhmad foothills, has been crucial in securing these areas permanently. Winning Hearts, Minds The Civic Action Programme has been deemed a “game changer” by the SP. Through schemes like ‘Police Dadalora Khidaki’ and ‘Project Udaan’, the police have transformed remote outposts into service delivery centres, providing essential government services and employment opportunities. This sustained outreach has successfully countered Maoist propaganda and, most critically, resulted in zero Maoist recruitment from Gadchiroli for the last few years. Surrender Wave The state’s progressive rehabilitation policy has seen a massive influx of surrenders. “One sentiment is common among all the surrendered cadres: that the movement has ended, it has lost public support, and without public support, no movement can sustain,” the SP noted. The surrender of key figures, notably that of Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias ‘Bhupathi,’ a CPI (Maoist) Politburo member, and his wife Sangeeta, was a “landmark development” that triggered a surrender wave. Since June 2024, over 126 Maoists have surrendered. The rehabilitation program offers land, housing under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, and employment. Surrendered cadres are receiving skill training and are successfully transitioning into normal life, with around 70 already employed in the local Lloyds plant. A District Reborn The transformation of Gadchiroli is now moving beyond security concerns. With the decline of extremism, the district is rapidly moving towards development and normalcy. The implementation of development schemes, round-the-clock electricity, water supply, mobile towers, and new infrastructure like roads and bridges is being given top priority. He concludes that the police’s focus is now shifting from an anti-Maoist offensive to routine law-and-order policing, addressing new challenges like industrialisation, theft, and traffic management. With the Maoist movement in “complete disarray” and major strongholds like the Maharashtra-Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh (MMC) Special Zone collapsing, the SP is highly optimistic. Gadchiroli is not just getting rid of the Naxal menace; it is embracing its future as a developing, peaceful district, well on track to meet the central government’s goal of eradicating Naxalism by March 31, 2026.

Arvind Kejriwal: Political Firestarter

Updated: Oct 21, 2024

Arvind Kejriwal: Political Firestarter

Few Indian politicians embody the contradictions of modern politics like Arvind Kejriwal. The former bureaucrat-turned-anti-corruption crusader, who once inspired legions with his slogan of clean governance, now finds himself locked in a complex battle over his own integrity.

On Friday, Kejriwal emerged from Tihar Jail to a hero’s welcome from supporters of his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Released on bail by India’s Supreme Court, the Delhi Chief Minister wasted no time in portraying his incarceration as a moral victory and, in a thinly-veiled rebuke at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), claimed he had been targeted not for corruption but for daring to fight “anti-national forces” allegedly weakening India.His release has ignited a wave of celebration within AAP ranks, as though a political victory has been secured ahead of the upcoming Delhi assembly election. But such celebrations may be premature.

Kejriwal’s legal troubles stem from the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy, an ambitious attempt to reform the city’s alcohol sales framework. The policy’s alleged flaws gave rise to corruption charges involving the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), resulting in his earlier this year. The agencies accuse him of graft and money laundering, charges he denies vehemently. Yet, despite being granted interim bail in the ED’s money laundering case in July, Kejriwal’s release was delayed due to his subsequent arrest by the CBI. The spectacle of his staggered detentions has led many to view his predicament through a political lens, with Kejriwal depicting himself as a victim of a conspiracy orchestrated by the central government by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In an unusually pointed observation, Justice Bhuyan of the Supreme Court questioned the timing of Kejriwal’s arrest - 22 months after the first information report (FIR) was registered - while criticizing the CBI’s handling of the case, reminding the agency of its duty to act with integrity and fairness and not to function as a “caged parrot” speaking in its master’s voice.

And yet, Kejriwal’s release on bail is far from an exoneration. The legal proceedings against him are expected to drag on. As the BJP was quick to point out, Kejriwal’s bail is a civil right, not an acquittal. The trial will soon commence, and the AAP leader still faces a long legal battle ahead.

Kejriwal’s arrest has come at a politically sensitive time. Delhi is set to hold its Assembly elections in early 2025, and the BJP is already recalibrating its strategy. For months, the BJP has portrayed AAP as a “den of corrupt leaders,” highlighting the arrests of Kejriwal’s close associates, including former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Health Minister Satyendra Jain, on similar corruption charges. With Kejriwal and his associates now out on bail, the BJP will likely shift its narrative to focus on the alleged “constitutional crisis” in the capital.

From his early days as an anti-corruption activist, Kejriwal has cultivated an image of himself as a man willing to challenge entrenched interests. His tenure as Delhi’s CM has often been marked by conflict with the central government over the city-state’s limited powers, a struggle that resonates with voters who view him as a voice for local governance.

His political rise has always been unconventional, marked by his ability to turn crises into opportunities. Whether it was his brief resignation (for 49 days) in 2014 or his frequent clashes with the central government, Kejriwal has consistently positioned himself as an outsider, fighting the political establishment on behalf of ordinary citizens. This narrative of victimhood has resonated with his supporters, allowing him to weather scandals that might sink other politicians.

His administration has been lauded for populist policies like free electricity, water, and healthcare, which have won him strong support among Delhi’s lower-middle class.

But Kejriwal’s political journey has not been without contradictions: he has adopted pragmatic strategies to stay politically relevant, sometimes allying with figures he once opposed.

His immediate challenge is to navigate the legal labyrinth ahead, even as he prepares for the forthcoming elections.

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