07-26-2006, 01:47 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Target the stimulus </b>
The Pioneer Edit Desk
War on Maoism must begin in AP ---- The killing of Burra Chinnaiah, better known by his nom de guerre, 'Madhav', in the jungles of Prakasam district, is the most salient evidence that Andhra Pradesh's renewed war against red terror is working. Madhav, general secretary of the State CPI(Maoist), died in an encounter with the Greyhounds, Andhra Pradesh's crack, anti-insurgency commando force, on Sunday, July 23. This capped a series of recent successes for the Greyhounds, which has, in the past few weeks, been given the green signal to go on the offensive, finally junking the Congress Government's misplaced amnesty with the Maoists, in prevalence since 2004. There is a recognition in Hyderabad - not entirely appreciated in Delhi, at the Home Ministry, and among the Left-liberal intellectuals who seem to have disproportionate influence on the Congress' central leadership - that the so-called misguided boys have used the two-year respite to their benefit. They have regrouped, re-armed and expanded their territory further into Chhattisgarh and Karnataka as well. Indeed, as Mr Jairam Ramesh, Minister of State for Commerce and MP from Andhra Pradesh, recently remarked, the Maoist belt has become the State's 'special export zone': An SEZ that sends out Telugu-speaking Maoists to foment trouble in neighbouring States. Chhattisgarh has borne the brunt of Andhra Pradesh's laxity - the Salwa Judum popular resistance being a response to the excesses of the Left-wing guerrillas. From Maharashtra to Orissa, Andhra Pradesh's 'revolutionary' bandits are everywhere.
As numerous security specialists have pointed out, Andhra Pradesh is best placed to begin India's war against Maoism. Of all the major affected States, it has the longest experience of the enemy. Its Greyhounds are technically the best suited for combat operations. What has been missing is the political will. Its return - evident in the effacement of Madhav and at least seven of his compatriots on Sunday - is a welcome sign. Indeed, after the massacre in a Salwa Judum camp in Chhattisgarh, it was Andhra Pradesh that offered the services of its Greyhounds to its beleaguered neighbour. At the Centre, UPA Ministers reacted with predictable churlishness and sought to criticise the BJP Government in Raipur. It is apparent that there are wide differences in perception between Delhi-based drawing room politicians who dominate the Congress all-India office and the grassroots politicians who run its State governments. It is national imperative for Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy to work towards a multi-State, multi-party coalition to take on the Maoists in the 'red corridor'. He needs to bring on board his counterparts in Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and Orissa. Much like the war against jihad, the battle against Maoists cannot be fought in isolation, within territorial boundaries.
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The Pioneer Edit Desk
War on Maoism must begin in AP ---- The killing of Burra Chinnaiah, better known by his nom de guerre, 'Madhav', in the jungles of Prakasam district, is the most salient evidence that Andhra Pradesh's renewed war against red terror is working. Madhav, general secretary of the State CPI(Maoist), died in an encounter with the Greyhounds, Andhra Pradesh's crack, anti-insurgency commando force, on Sunday, July 23. This capped a series of recent successes for the Greyhounds, which has, in the past few weeks, been given the green signal to go on the offensive, finally junking the Congress Government's misplaced amnesty with the Maoists, in prevalence since 2004. There is a recognition in Hyderabad - not entirely appreciated in Delhi, at the Home Ministry, and among the Left-liberal intellectuals who seem to have disproportionate influence on the Congress' central leadership - that the so-called misguided boys have used the two-year respite to their benefit. They have regrouped, re-armed and expanded their territory further into Chhattisgarh and Karnataka as well. Indeed, as Mr Jairam Ramesh, Minister of State for Commerce and MP from Andhra Pradesh, recently remarked, the Maoist belt has become the State's 'special export zone': An SEZ that sends out Telugu-speaking Maoists to foment trouble in neighbouring States. Chhattisgarh has borne the brunt of Andhra Pradesh's laxity - the Salwa Judum popular resistance being a response to the excesses of the Left-wing guerrillas. From Maharashtra to Orissa, Andhra Pradesh's 'revolutionary' bandits are everywhere.
As numerous security specialists have pointed out, Andhra Pradesh is best placed to begin India's war against Maoism. Of all the major affected States, it has the longest experience of the enemy. Its Greyhounds are technically the best suited for combat operations. What has been missing is the political will. Its return - evident in the effacement of Madhav and at least seven of his compatriots on Sunday - is a welcome sign. Indeed, after the massacre in a Salwa Judum camp in Chhattisgarh, it was Andhra Pradesh that offered the services of its Greyhounds to its beleaguered neighbour. At the Centre, UPA Ministers reacted with predictable churlishness and sought to criticise the BJP Government in Raipur. It is apparent that there are wide differences in perception between Delhi-based drawing room politicians who dominate the Congress all-India office and the grassroots politicians who run its State governments. It is national imperative for Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy to work towards a multi-State, multi-party coalition to take on the Maoists in the 'red corridor'. He needs to bring on board his counterparts in Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and Orissa. Much like the war against jihad, the battle against Maoists cannot be fought in isolation, within territorial boundaries.
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