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The Task Force constituted by the Assam government to study the growth of Maoists in the State admitted in its report that Assam stands to face a stiff challenge in the days to come from Maoists. Therefore, a comprehensive action plan needs to be implemented quickly to deal with the growth of the Maoists in Assam and other parts of Northeast India. While Left Wing Extremism (LWE) does not as of now have a major presence in North East Region (NER), its growth is a potential threat to infrastructural development which serves as a bedrock to strengthen our North-eastern borders and a prerequisite to growth and development of this landlocked region.
In 2012, it was officially reported that Maoist had established three ‘command centres’ in the State – near the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh, Assam-Nagaland and Assam-West Bengal borders. In Assam alone, 25 to 30 armed cadres are in operation under Mahesh, a Central Committee member from Rabha community. Of the 79 police stations in Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Sibsagar, Dhemaji and Lakhmipur districts of Assam, 23 were affected by LWE with cadres extorting small tea garden owners, cattle-rearing farmers and individuals to sustain themselves. Maoists are sending newly recruited cadres from Assam to some central Indian States for training to raise its armed wing in Assam under the banner of the Revolutionary People's Guerrilla Army. They are establishing separate channels in the Northeast, particularly in Nagaland, for procurement of arms and ammunition and have developed close ties with insurgent groups such as the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of Manipur. Arrests of Adivasi Tiger Force militants have confirmed that Maoists are trying to spread ideological training by recruiting unemployed Adivasi youth. The Chief Minister of Assam Tarun Gogoi alleged that “Maoists were given training by Nagaland’s NSCN in some place outside Assam by taking advantage of the ceasefire agreement with the government of India”. In Arunachal Pradesh too Maoists have set up bases in Lower Dibang Valley and Lohit districts.
According to Mr. Shambhu Singh, Joint Secretary (North East), “The Northeast region became an attractive hub for LWE because of the region’s encirclement and the existence of the arms market of Southeast Asia as well as that of China. The history of the Northeast shows a very old history of violence; once the main component of ULFA was dissipated, there was a vacuum created, in Assam in particular, which LWE tried to fill hoping that the remaining extremist element of the NDFB and the ULFA would provide them with a ready support.” Although authorities state that the LWE movement in Northeast is limited and brief, an abysmal state of development, constraint free availability of arms and ammunition through porous borders and a wide base of unemployed youth available for recruitment confirms that threat of Maoist dispersion still persists.
As seen in the recent Muzaffarabad riots, trouble-free access and possession of arms have amplified the threats that extremist elements pose to our social order. Several studies have quoted the involvement of China in instigating instability in India with arms and military training. "The logic seems to be: keep the North-east on the boil and simultaneously profit from arms sales," says a senior military intelligence official. It has also been noted that unlike the Indo-Pak relationship which is discussed in detail, the threat posed by Chinese engagement to our internal security is not discussed overtly.
For long have experts suggested “regional integration” as the key to problems in NER. According to Charles K. Ebinger, author of “Energy Security in South Asia: Cooperation or Conflict?”, “Any region facing such a confluence of challenges requires constant economic and social support to maintain stability and to help prevent the ignition of widespread unrest. Under that assumption, energy security is a critical component of regional stability, both for its ability to support economic development and for its ability to provide national security”. Maoists have been supporting the protest against hydroelectric projects to hamper development and obstruct regional cooperation which follows energy security.
Concerned authorities need to make changes in the existing policies to ensure development which will also have a direct impact on the region’s security. Hydro-electric projects should be safeguarded to establish energy security in the Northeast. Interstate connectivity through railways and roads should be strengthened for effective mobilisation of security forces in the region. The upmost priority of the government should be generation of livelihood for unemployed youth who are susceptible to Maoist ideology, by absorbing them in mainstream labour force through skill development. Secondly, focus of policy formulation should be on expanding the outreach of newly launched skill development schemes and ensuring last mile delivery in remote and difficult areas using telecom technology. A successful example of such a project is “CGNet Swara” which is a voice-based portal, freely accessible via mobile phone that allows anyone to listen and report to stories of local interest or tribal communities which otherwise lack access to any mainstream media outlets.
Thirdly, integrating skill development with indigenous knowledge rich NER will not only provide economic boost and help stabilise socio-political unrest but also provide opportunities in manufacturing and entrepreneurship to NE youth to develop business and attract markets.
Fourthly, there is no point offering major projects in roads, bridges etc. to other neighbouring countries when our own physical infrastructure development in NER leaves much to be desired. Nevertheless, we can capitalise on the large number of English speaking Northeast youth in education and service sectors. States of Northeast India, despite their economic backwardness, have a greater proportion of readers among its youth population. Survey results reveal that in the north-eastern states, 43 percent of the youth are readers. While the central states have the largest block (85 percent) of non-readers, the northeast has the smallest (57 percent). Until the government announces new policies to increase jobs and the private sector gains confidence to invest in NER, the region can export teachers and skilled craftsmen to neighbouring countries such as Myanmar. In addition, education and skill development training to students of adjoining countries can also be offered.
Lastly, social stratification, lack of traditional family business and control of clan and kinship over family decision making in several tribal societies contributes negatively to entrepreneurial motivation of youth. These problems can be addressed by religious institutions in Northeast who can also take up responsibility of motivating and supporting youth to transform household production centres into entrepreneurial units. Lack of development in NER has always been in spotlight but not much has been done to utilise strengths such as traditional knowledge in this region. Half-baked policies and ethnic conflict has left the whole of the Northeast in a state of turmoil which is now being exploited by Maoists. Absorption of unemployed youth to create a strong social-economic support network through skill development framework and energy security is a prerequisite to reinvigorate NER.
The author is a Research Assistant at CLAWS. Views expressed are personal
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