The ongoing campaign against Maoists has achieved another major success. This time, in Odisha’s Kandhamal district, where Ganesh Uikey, a Maoist leader carrying a bounty of ₹1.1 crore (US$1.2 million), was killed along with four of his associates in an encounter. Hours earlier, two more Maoists were killed in Odisha. With Ganesh’s death, Odisha has also come closer to becoming Maoist-free.

With this, the country’s chances of being free of Maoism by March next year have increased. The renewed emphasis on this by Home Minister Amit Shah demonstrates his commitment to achieving this goal. It would have been great if the Manmohan Singh government had shown similar commitment. Although Operation Green Hunt was launched against the Maoists during the Manmohan Singh government, when Chidambaram was Home Minister, it was the Congress and its allies who began opposing it.

As a result, the operation gradually became ineffective. The country paid a heavy price for this. This increased the audacity of the Maoists. They organized themselves, launched deadly attacks on security forces, suppressed tribal communities, blocked development projects, and intensified their plunder. There should be no doubt that Maoism is a ruthless group of armed individuals, armed with a toxic ideology, who, under the guise of protecting the interests of the poor, engage in all kinds of arbitrariness and extortion.

With the recent killing of Maoist leaders one after another and the surrender of a large number of their associates, Maoism appears to be on its last legs. This is further confirmed by the fact that the number of Maoist-affected districts has now dwindled to just 11. At one time, there were 182 such districts. In the recent past, many areas that were once Maoist strongholds have also been liberated from Maoism. Although many underground Maoist leaders have concluded that they are fighting a losing battle, they are not ready to give up their weapons.

It cannot be ignored that Maoists continue to challenge security forces from time to time. In view of this, there should be no hesitation in taking strict action against the remaining Maoists. They should be given neither the opportunity to raise their heads nor to organize. Such conditions must be created that they have no option but to surrender. Along with underground Maoist leaders, those elements who provide them with ideological support, known as urban Naxals, should also be kept under strict surveillance.