They are trying to cover up for this political failure through well-organised military actions. And they have been successful as well. The Prime Minister said that Maoist terrorism has been one of the major challenges the country is facing.

Indian Maoists can never forget Naxalbari and West Bengal from where the movement originated. The present-day Maoists, the CPI (Maoist), was formed as a result of a merger between the People’s War based in Andhra and the MCC based in Bihar. Both these organisations had no solid base in Bengal. So it is quite natural for them to think about building a base there and this is an opportune time. 

Since the Indian Maoists’ military strategy is planned and executed at the all-India level, the Centre’s move to impose a nationwide ban is a correct move. Terrorism must be dealt with an iron hand. No doubt about it. But it must be done within the legal framework of the democratic system and loopholes in the system must be plugged. Banning a political organisation, whether it is terrorist or not, I believe, does not conform to the political atmosphere of a democratic system. The CPM central leadership’s opposition to the ban, though, is not a principled one. Even the CPM’s modified programme upholds the goal of establishing the dictatorship of the proletariat — the same goal of the Maoists. The opposition to the ban is aimed at projecting the CPM’s image as defenders of democracy — something which they forgot in the three decades of rule in West Bengal.     

... contd.