Thiruvananthapuram ,13 Jan (H.S.):Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has once again triggered political debate by openly praising the Narendra Modi government’s approach to tackling Maoist insurgency in India. In an article written for Project Syndicate, Tharoor commended the Centre’s strategy, a move seen as being at odds with the official position of the Congress party.

The latest remarks come amid speculation that Tharoor has reached a temporary truce with the Congress high command, following earlier controversies over his public positions that diverged from party lines. His praise of the Modi government has previously drawn criticism from within the party, making this endorsement particularly noteworthy.

In the article, Tharoor argues that India has demonstrated its capability to effectively confront the Maoist challenge. He notes that what was once a vast “Red Corridor” spanning 126 districts in 2013 has been reduced to just 11 districts by last year. According to him, this contraction represents a significant—though not yet complete—success for the Indian state.

Tharoor also references the origins of the Naxalite movement, which began in the village of Naxalbari in West Bengal in the late 1960s, and points to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s assertion that the insurgency will be fully eliminated within the next few months.

Drawing an international comparison, Tharoor contrasts India’s approach with Sri Lanka’s 2009 military offensive against the LTTE under then President Mahinda Rajapaksa, which ended a 40-year civil war through overwhelming force. India, he writes, deliberately avoided such a scorched-earth strategy. Instead, the Indian government adopted a calibrated and comprehensive plan that carefully addressed both the causes and consequences of the insurgency.

According to Tharoor, while the UPA government initiated several measures to counter the Maoist threat, these efforts were significantly intensified after 2014 under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Modi government, he says, implemented a multidimensional strategy that combined security operations with development initiatives.

On the security front, Tharoor highlights substantial investments to enhance police capabilities, including modern weapons, advanced communication systems, and specialised training for jungle warfare and counter-insurgency. The establishment of new forward operating bases in previously inaccessible areas helped shrink Maoist strongholds and restrict their movement.

Equally important, he writes, was the parallel push for development. Improved road connectivity, mobile towers, poverty alleviation programmes, and expanded welfare delivery weakened the Maoists’ influence by reducing isolation in remote villages. By bypassing parallel insurgent structures and directly delivering subsidised food, housing, and healthcare, the government succeeded in winning the trust of local communities.

“The strategy worked not merely through force, but by winning hearts and minds,” Tharoor concludes, describing India’s Maoist policy as a rare example of security and development moving hand in hand.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman