Can Maoist ideology outlive the battlefield?

Raipur: As security forces tightened their grip over Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) in Bastar and surrenders outnumbered fresh recruitment, a deeper question is surfacing alongside claims of "elimination" — can an ideology be neutralised through guns, arrests and rehabilitation?Voices from academia and field experts suggest the story may be more layered than battlefield success alone. Speaking to TOI, political theorist from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Ajay Gudavarthy argues that the real test lies assessing the social base that sustained the movement for decades."The moot point is how much support and social base the Maoists continue to have among tribals," he says. "Even if the movement is officially declared dead, how do we understand the tribal sympathy, especially when many leaders and commanders themselves came from these communities?"Gudavarthy points to a crucial distinction emerging from recent surrenders. "Many leaders have admitted they are laying down arms due to military failure— not because their ideological belief has collapsed." On the ground the picture appears starkly different. Maoist affairs expert and Prominent activist of peace-process Shubhranshu Choudhary offers a counterview rooted in long-term field observation."We have declared the end of LWE multiple times in history — in 1952, and again in 1972," he notes. "What we are seeing now is the end of Adivasi militancy led by Maoists in central India's forests."He argues that the movement's decline is not just due to security pressure but also a gradual erosion of its legitimacy among tribals.