Maoist violence drops by over 50% in six years as Left-wing extremists' grip weakens in red bastions

Representational image. PTI[/caption]In central areas, the forested Dandakaranya area in central Chhattisgarh, once considered an unbreachable Maoist stronghold, has been declared “difficult” for extreme Left-wing activities.Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Telangana have been categorised as “weak” or “setback”. Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, states in the party’s south-western bureau, are all down to “stagnation with only mass organisation activity”.What to do with an ageing leadershipThe Maoist movement in India appears to be facing its biggest challenge from a new quarter–ageing leadership said another Telangana Today report. Seven of the 19 members of the central committee are above 60 and a few are coping with health issues. Party general secretary Muppala Laxmana Rao, popularly known as Ganapathy, is now 66, and the senior-most leader of the team, Prashant Bose, is 69.At its February 2017 meeting, the central committee decided to pull ‘veterans’ at all levels out of the job of leading the movement in the jungles. The party would, however, use their services in different ways and ensure that they were “respected” and “supported” by the rank and file.“In areas where government offensive is serious and we are unable to protect our leadership, we should send them to villages or urban centres which are unaffected by revolutionary movement,” the resolution said. This move to villages and cities would also allow ailing senior leaders to seek medical help, it added.The party, known for its secrecy, would contact relocated or transferred leaders once in six months, as per the document.If the party leadership moves into the hands of younger members, even as the CPI(Maoist) suffers a setback across India, it is likely that action against security forces will become more intense, said Reddy.