The Naxal-Maoist sunset
The Tribune Editorial: The return of a key Naxal strategist Bhupathi to the mainstream indicates that the Central and state governments are on course to eradicate Naxalism by the deadline of March 31 next year.
MASS surrender by Naxalites and Maoists in Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra this week has raised hopes that the decades-long fight against Left Wing Extremism (LWE) is finally nearing its end. Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias Bhupathi, a key Naxal strategist, laid down arms before Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis along with 60 of his associates in Gadchiroli district, while 78 Maoists — including 43 women — surrendered in three districts of Chhattisgarh. It took a month of back-channel talks to persuade Bhupathi, who had helped spread the Maoist movement across the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border as a founding member of the banned People’s War Group. His return to the mainstream indicates that the Central and state governments are on course to eradicate Naxalism by the deadline of March 31 next year. The judicious strategy of combining counter-insurgency operations with people-oriented development initiatives is bearing fruit.
