Between a Rock And Hard Place the Maoists Sue for Peace

The Maoists find themselves in a nutcracker. In a new press release they have expressed willingness for peace talks with the government. This is the fourth such appeal from their side since March this year.

The latest release, dated 25^th April, has been issued by the spokesperson of the party’s Central Committee, its highest decision-making organ.

Currently, a number of Maoist leaders along with member of its “Battalion 1” are trapped in the Karregutta Hills area on the border of Chhattisgarh and Telangana. Thousands of central and state paramilitary forces have concentrated in the area. The terrain here is very difficult and the troopers have been involved in operations for more than a week now. This is one of few remaining strongholds of the Maoists in the country.

What is interesting about the latest release is the language that it uses to make the appeal. Earlier releases had the formulaic language in which the Union government was described as “Brahmanical” and “Fascisitic.” This time such expressions have been eschewed and the Maoists have sued for peace. Similarly, earlier releases “demanded” that security operations be halted for peace talks to even begin. This time, the “demand” is couched in a matter of fact language that if offensive operations continue such efforts will be meaningless.

“Our party’s Central Committee once again appeals to central and state governments that a conducive environment be created for peace talks and the operations be halted” across different states.

It is interesting to note that “intellectuals” and “human rights activists” have been building a case for peace talks with the Maoists for more than a month now. This is perhaps the best gauge of the seriousness of the situation and the peril in which the Maoist leadership finds itself in.

This was in response to a press releases issued by the Maoists in late March in which they called on “public intellectuals, writers, journalists in print, electronic and digital media and rights groups…to build pressure on the government,” for talks.

On 5^th April, during his visit to Dantewada district in Chhattisgarh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had appealed to Maoists to abjure violence and join the mainstream.

Three days later, on 8^th April, the Maoists ended speculation about talks when a press release issued by the North-West Sub-Zonal Bureau of the Maoist party stated that “while the party is not averse to peace negotiations, the current conditions in Bastar—marked by on-going killings and security operations—make talks practically impossible.”

The release issued on 25^th April stands in stark contrast to the one released on 8^th April. In the period between these two dates the operation at Karregutta Hills gathered pace and the Maoists came under sustained pressure.

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