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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.

Who will be next CM?

Updated: Nov 25, 2024

Mahayuti, MVA constituents drop different names


next CM

Mumbai: Even before the first votes are counted in Maharashtra, fissures have emerged within the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) on who will head the next government with constituents in both camps laying claim over the chief minister’s post.


After polling for the 288-member assembly ended on Wednesday evening, the ruling as well as opposition fronts have started claiming that mandate will be in their favour when votes are counted on November 23.


Soon after polling, state Congress chief Nana Patole asserted an MVA government would be formed in Maharashtra under the leadership of his party.


Voting trends suggest the Congress will get the maximum number of seats in the new assembly, he said.


His remarks did not go down well with ally Shiv Sena (UBT), whose leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday insisted the chief ministerial face will be decided by all alliance partners jointly once the MVA secures majority. The Rajya Sabha MP said if the Congress high command has told Patole that he will be the CM face then the national party’s president Mallikarjun Kharge, and its top leaders Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra should announce the same.


The MVA, consisting of the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) and the Mahayuti, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP, have expressed confidence that their respective alliance will form the next government after votes are counted on Saturday.


While a majority of exit polls have predicted that Mahayuti will retain power, a few have favoured the MVA. On the Mahayuti side, Shiv Sena MLA and party spokesperson Sanjay Shirsat said the assembly elections were contested with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde as the face.


“Voters have shown their preference for Shinde through voting. I think it is Shinde’s right (to be the next CM) and we are confident that he will be the next CM,” Shirsat said.


BJP leader Pravin Darekar batted for Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for the top post.


“I think if anyone from the BJP is becoming the CM then it will be Devendra Fadnavis,” he said.


NCP leader Amol Mitkari pushed the name of his party chief and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar for the coveted job. “Whatever the results, the NCP will be the kingmaker,” Mitkari said.


Asked about the CM face, Fadnavis maintained all three Mahayuti parties will sit together and take a “good decision”. Speaking to reporters separately, BJP leader Darekar claimed the Mahayuti will form the next government, dismissing the possibility of the MVA coming to power, and said the opposition bloc was plagued by “internal rifts”.


“The people of Maharashtra have given a clear mandate. The Chief Minister will be from the Mahayuti, not the MVA, and certainly not the Congress,” he asserted.


Highlighting divisions within the MVA, Darekar said, “Congress MP Praniti Shinde and her father and former CM Sushilkumar Shinde supported an independent candidate against Uddhav Thackeray’s nominee in a constituency in Solapur district. These internal rifts expose a lack of unity. How can parties without internal coherence decide on a Chief Minister?”


The BJP leader said Patole’s aspirations to become chief minister were nothing but “Mungerilal ke haseen sapne” (daydreaming). On exit polls, Darekar remarked, “While no exit poll is final, most have predicted a Mahayuti win. Even independent candidates (on winning) are likely to back Mahayuti.”


Taking a swipe at Prahar Janshakti Party leader Bachchu Kadu, he said, “Kadu speaks with grand bravado, but his own seat is under threat. Let him first declare how many of his candidates are winning.”


Regarding Rahul Gandhi’s statements on the Adani group, the BJP leader quipped, “Rahul Gandhi should go to the US and focus on issues abroad, where his commentary might hold weight. His remarks on the fall of the Union government are childish and baseless.”


On the alleged involvement of NCP (SP) Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule and Patole in using bitcoins illegally to fund elections, Darekar said the truth will come out soon.

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