Government re-imposes ban on Maoists

In what is seen as a formal ending to its year-long peace initiative on Naxal problem, the Andhra Pradesh government today re-imposed ban on Maoists(CPI-Maoist) along with seven of its 'frontal organisations', including the Revolutionary Writers Association.

The eight-year long ban on the erstwhile People's War Group re-imposed by the Chandrababu Naidu government on July 21, 1996, lapsed on July 22, 2004 after the Congress government led by Y S Rajasekhara Reddy decided to pursue dialogue with the armed Left-wing extremist outfit.

Earlier, after re-claiming power in the 1994 Assembly elections, Telugu Desam Party founder N T Rama Rao had also lifted the ban on the warring naxalites, which lasted only up to 8 months before Naidu decided to pursue hardline strategy to counter the extremist challenge.

Announcing the government's decision, state home minister K Jana Reddy cited the recent indiscriminate killing of the nine people including an MLA and government officials and previous instances of violence, extortion and murder committed by Maoists. The People's War group was rechristened as Maoists during the first round of talks with the state government.

"The state government had maintained utmost restraint even in the face of excesses by extremists during the peace initiative. Now things reached to a stage where people started doubting the efficacy of government in protecting their lives and property from Naxal violence. So our government decided to continue the ban on Maoists and its frontal organisations," Jana Reddy told reporters.

Interestingly, the Revolutionary Writers Association, popularly known as Virasam, has now been included in the list with officially branding it as a Maoist frontal organisation.

The other frontal organisations who face ban, include Radical Youth League, Raitu Cooli Sangham, Radical Students Union, Singareni Karmica Samakhya, Viplava Karmika Sangham and All India Revolutionary Students Federation (AIRSF).

It is a strange coincidence that the state government's decision to re-impose ban on Maoists came just hours before the arrival of World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz. Human rights organisations and naxalites have long been accusing the World Bank of unleashing state violence in the name of fighting Left-wing extremism.

The ban was first imposed on PWG and its frontal organisations on May 21, 1992, under Congress rule when N Janardhan Reddy was the chief minister. The hand of Union home ministry's is seen in the state government's move.