Meet the Doctrinal Challenge

The Indian Express     13th April 2021     Save    

Context: Battle against Maoists must have greater clarity, especially in recognising the ideological underpinnings of the insurgency.

Recent rise in the Moist-insurgency:

  • In May 2013, Maoists killed 25 senior leaders of the Congress, including V C Shukla, Mahendra Karma and Nand Kumar Patel, in Chhattisgarh’s Darbha Valley.
  • In April 2017, the Maoists attacked and killed 25 CRPF personnel in the Sukma district.
  • In March 2020, they killed 17 personnel of the Chhattisgarh police in Elmagunda forest in the Sukma district.

Understanding the roots and challenges of Maoist-insurgency:

  • Rooted in political doctrine: Guerrilla warfare, according to Mao, has not just a military objective but a political one, too: To gradually liberate regions from government control and establish people’s governments in those “liberated zones”.
    • In the absence of a doctrinal approach, governments resort to romantic heroism, which may give temporary results but the challenges remain and recur.
  • The seven important elements: The Maoist strategy depends on seven important elements:
    • Arousing and organising people; Achieving internal political unity; Establishing bases; Equipping forces; Building national strength; Destroying the enemy’s national strength; Regaining lost territories.
  • Ingredients of guerrilla warfare: The people, army and territory are the three main ingredients of the Maoist guerrilla warfare strategy.
    • People are the three main ingredients of the Maoist guerrilla warfare strategy; Mao insisted that the revolution should begin from areas that are the most remote from governments.
    • The recent visuals of the release of abducted CRPF jawan, in which hundreds of locals can be seen, demonstrate the popular support that Maoists enjoy.

Way forward: The repeated failures of our security forces on the Maoist front do not indicate a lack of government power. They demonstrate;

  • Meticulous planning on the three fronts –
    • For the people: A hybrid approach is needed, involving civic organisations that can reach out and influence the misguided people, together with developmental and counterinsurgency activity by the government.
    • Demilitarising Maoists: This has succeeded in Nepal, Bihar, and elsewhere and requires deeper engagement with the people in Maoist areas. 
      • Need of trained leaders: Leaders must be well-educated in revolutionary technique, self-confident, able to establish severe discipline, and to cope with counterpropaganda.
    • Area domination: The Maoist leadership can be targeted not by ill-planned daredevilry but by well-planned area domination.
      • E.g. Andhra Pradesh has succeeded in decimating Maoism through area domination.