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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.

Rebels may distruptive pitch for Mahayuti, MVA

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Mumbai: Major political parties are facing rebellion in their ranks as party workers denied tickets have defied their leaderships and filed nominations for the assembly polls, posing a headache for the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA).


November 4 is the last date for withdrawal of candidatures and after that a clear picture will emerge on the number of rebels still left in the fray.


If rebels decide to dig in their heels, they will pose a significant challenge for official candidates and potentially upset the poll arithmetic of main contenders for power, Mahayuti and MVA, who appear to be locked in a close fight.


The Mahayuti consists of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and deputy CM Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), while the opposition MVA comprises the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP).


The BJP, which has fielded the highest number of candidates among the major parties, is struggling to manage possible damage from rebels in Mumbai as well as in other parts of the state.


Among the BJP rebels, a notable figure is Gopal Shetty, a two-time MLA and former Lok Sabha member from Mumbai. He has filed his nomination as an independent candidate against the party’s official nominee, Sanjay Upadhyay, in Mumbai’s Borivali assembly constituency.


Shetty represented this assembly constituency in 2004 and 2009 and won the Lok Sabha elections from Mumbai North in both 2014 and 2019. The BJP chose to field Vinod Tawde, now its general secretary, in 2014 and Sunil Rane in 2019 from Borivali and neither of them were local candidates.


While both managed to win the seat, local party members, including Shetty, grew uneasy with the decision to “impose” candidates without consulting them, noted a BJP functionary.


Shetty faced a setback when he was denied a Lok Sabha ticket in 2024, making way for Piyush Goyal, the Union Commerce Minister. Although many anticipated that Shetty would be fielded from Borivali, the BJP opted for Upadhyay instead.


Despite efforts from Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar and MLA Yogesh Sagar to persuade him to reconsider his decision to contest polls, Shetty stood his ground and filed his nomination.

Another local BJP leader, Atul Shah, has submitted his nominations from Mumbadevi in Mumbai city, where the party’s national spokesperson Shaina NC, is the official candidate of ally Shiv Sena.


The Shiv Sena (UBT), led by former CM Uddhav Thackeray, had announced the candidature of Kishanchand Tanwani from the Aurangabad Central constituency in central Maharashtra.


However, Tanwani withdrew his candidature and extended support to Pradeep Jaiswal, the candidate of the Shiv Sena headed by Thackeray’s rival, Chief Minister Shinde.


In Chandrapur district, the BJP has fielded Devrao Bhongale from the Rajura constituency. Upset with the decision, two former MLAs of the BJP -- Sanjay Dhote and Sudarshan Nimkar -- have filed their nominations as independent candidates.


According to political observer Abhay Deshpande, the NCP’s entry in the ruling coalition has posed challenges for the BJP and the Shiv Sena.


Then there are cases where allied parties have put up candidates against each other. For example, in the Solapur South constituency, the Congress nominated Dilip Mane but did not give him official nominee status, while its partner Shiv Sena (UBT) has given ticket to Amar Patil.


Speaking to reporters after filing his nomination as an independent candidate, Mane said, “I was told that the AB form from the Congress will be given to me. It never came so I decided to file my nomination as an independent candidate.”

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