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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.

NCP (SP) likely to struggle to keep flock together

Updated: Nov 29, 2024

Heavyweight leaders who joined the party on the eve of the polls might start getting impatient soon

NCP

Mumbai: The sparkling showing at the Lok Sabha polls catapulted the NCP (SP) into the league of one of the most sought-after parties in the state. More than 20 senior leaders were welcomed into the fold, some invited by the party and other, wanting a safe seat after indications that they may be denied a nomination from the respective parties. Some of the most prominent among them are Harshvardhan Patil, Sandeep Naik and Samarjeet Ghatge. All are influential politicians who carry political heft. The party was banking on them to win their constituencies effortlessly. Surprisingly, all three lost. Keeping them with a routed and splintered party will be a challenge for Sharad Pawar.


Of these three, Patil and Ghatge began their electoral careers as independent candidates, moving into parties later. With their own fiefdoms and cadre in place, they are less reliant on the party structure and workers. Patil, for instance, was elected to the state assembly for three terms as an Independent and joined the Congress only later. He quit the Congress to join the BJP and then moved to the NCP (SP) on the eve of the polls. The party had hoped to capitalise on Patil’s hold over cooperatives in Indapur given his years of experience and his tenure as a minister for cooperatives. Similar is the case of Ghatge, who made a mark in politics without any party’s support system. Hailing from an erstwhile noble family with huge land reserves and businesses that employ a few hundreds, Ghatge inherited considerable influence in Kagal from his father. The BJP, who didn’t have a strong face in the area, had inducted him and given him a position of power. In a grand gathering, he joined Pawar’s party earlier this year with an eye on a nomination from Kagal. But they lost. With Naik, he effortlessly moved across parties without batting an eyelid.


Ideology and loyalty to a party have taken a backseat in recent times. As a member of the NCP (SP) says: “These are opportunistic inductions from both sides. We saw winnability in them and they saw an opportunity especially after the Lok Sabha polls. Keeping them in the party will be a challenge especially since their own local influence outweighs the party’s spread in that area.” Interestingly, all three big leaders have left the winning side to join the NCP (SP); all three were in the BJP. As they see their former colleagues get ministerial portfolios or plum positions in state boards, it might be difficult to keep them back. “The future of the NCP (SP) is currently hanging in balance; we don’t have a roadmap for re-building the party right now. It will take us time to analyse this defeat and plan the way ahead. We don’t know how many of these leaders will continue to be with us,” says a senior party member.


The exodus may not happen immediately for fear of getting a tag of being opportunistic. But with elections to local bodies likely to be held in the coming months, their next move will be worth watching.

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