Seven days

After coming to power,West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had suspended the operations of the joint forces — Central paramilitary and state police — in the Maoist-affected Junglemahal area in West Midnapore district. The fallout was increasing violence and political assassinations,and a renewed terrorising of the people by the Maoists. Banerjee had been warned earlier about the dangers of both placating and ignoring the Maoists. If she was “soft” on the Maoists in her electoral run-up,as CM her strategy changed to “ignoring” the insurgents,in the belief that “cowards” who made a living solely through media soundbites and hit-and-run killings were best given no importance. Not only did this strategy too come a cropper,but Banerjee is also learning how different a ballgame being in power is.

Therefore,her seven-day deadline to the Maoists for laying down arms,pronounced in Jhargram on Saturday,is indeed a turnaround. Although she had “kept her word” on halting the operations,the Maoists never would. That the Maoists switched seamlessly from targeting CPM personnel to the Trinamool’s should tell her that the insurgents’ raison d’être is a cynical,protracted,asymmetric war against the state and whoever,at the moment,represents the state. To her credit,Banerjee has engaged Junglemahal in a dialogue of development,which she reinforced with a list of promises on Saturday. Roads,jobs,potable water,schools and colleges,banks and financial services,is a language every Indian understands today. That the people of Junglemahal had welcomed the CM’s development plank,and that the Maoists had wasted no time in attacking it,should convince Banerjee as to what the people want,and what exactly the Maoists want.

The two-pronged strategy of paramilitary operations and local development cannot be jettisoned or suspended by the CM of a Maoist-affected state. Even as she awaits the Maoist response,Banerjee knows they’re unlikely to oblige,except to gain time temporarily. She should heed the Centre’s eagerness to resume the joint operations,while embarking on the rudiments of her development programme. Rhetorically diminishing Maoists may have its little gains,but there’s hard work to be done.