There are decision-makers at the Centre who are known to actively nurture the illusion that the Naxalites are a genuine political movement, with legitimate political grievances that can be addressed by good-intentioned invitations to dialogue. It might be instructive for these people to glance at recent events in the neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. In AP last month, Congress MLA M.C. Narsi Reddy was killed by suspected Naxals; after targeting Reddy, the armed assailants fired indiscriminately into the assembled crowd. On Saturday last, in the Bastar region in Chhattisgarh, a landmine blast notched the gruesome badge of killing the largest number of security personnel in a single Naxal attack. In the aftermath, both governments have talked tough. The Y.S.R. Reddy regime was forced to shed some of the tell-tale ambiguities in its drive against the extremist groups; it reinstated the ban on Naxals. Now, the Raman Singh government has initiated an ordinance to ban them. There are murmurs of an action plan in the offing at the Centre as well, with brand new counter-measures against Naxalites. Are we on to a learning curve here? Perhaps.There are reasons for the persistent scepticism. The onus is on the UPA dispensation to prove that it will respond in decisive ways to the horrifying bloodshed perpetrated by Naxalite groups across the country. Ever since it took charge, the UPA has been sending out dangerously mixed messages vis a vis the Naxalites. The defining moment of this vacillation at the highest levels was the spectacle of Naxalites bringing their weapons to the negotiating table in AP. And of the AP police being forced to turn back after cornering the entire top Naxalite leadership in a forest raid. No government can afford to appear to be ambiguous when dealing with a serious security threat. No government can wink at groups that pursue their ends through violence against the people, ironically in the name of the people.The prime minister has exhorted extremist groups to prove their legitimacy and popular support by entering the electoral process. His remarks contained a welcome note of warning and challenge. It must be brought home to the Naxalite groups that they have no option: they must renounce violence and submit to the democratic process. Else, they must face the consequences of their recalcitrance.
