Veteran civil liberties activist and former Hyderabad Central University professor Prof G Haragopal on Tuesday admitted that the Maoist movement has weakened and failed to win the support of the people.
Reacting to the killing of dreaded Maoist party leader Madvi Hidma and five others in an encounter in the Rampachodavaram Agency area on Tuesday morning, Haragopal said the Centre’s recently launched Operation Kagar appears to have achieved significant success.
He said the Maoist movement has been weakened primarily because of deep internal differences, ideological rifts, and organisational splits that have taken root within the CPI (Maoist).
Haragopal observed that the evolving socio-political environment in the country had also contributed to the diminishing support base for the Maoists.
“The party has been eroded by splits and disagreements. The current situation is largely the result of internal contradictions,” he noted.
He described Hidma — a Central Committee member long regarded as one of the most formidable Maoist leaders — as a man with exceptional operational capability.
“Hidma had the ability to accomplish any target the party set for him. Within the organisation, there was a strong belief that he could deliver whatever was assigned,” he said.
The activist highlighted how rapid advances in surveillance and counter-insurgency technology had shifted the balance against Maoist groups.
“The governments are combing forest regions using sophisticated tech, weapons, and drones. The Maoist organisation has not been able to withstand this,” he explained.
He noted that the conditions that had once sustained the movement 25 years ago are no longer present, and that the Maoists have failed to get support from the public at the levels they once did.
Haragopal, however, made a clear distinction between Maoist militancy and tribal rights movements. Even if the Maoist party is eventually wiped out, Adivasi struggles will not end, he asserted.
“Indigenous people’s movements will continue, irrespective of the Maoist party’s future,” he said.
