India prepares to fight rebel Maoists

BARSUR, India, Oct. 31 (UPI) -- India is preparing for a prolonged counterinsurgency fight against Maoist rebels once discounted as a ragtag group of irrelevant ideologues, officials say.

The Maoists, intent on overthrowing the government, are operating in 20 of India's states, and have become a strong and dangerous insurgency, The New York Times reported on its Web site Saturday.

Indian leaders are prepared to deploy nearly 70,000 paramilitary officers for the extended counterinsurgency effort.

The Maoists say they represent the dispossessed of Indian society. Especially hard-hit, they claim, are indigenous tribal groups burdened with the highest rates of illiteracy, poverty and infant mortality.

The insurgents charge the government wants to push tribal groups from their lands to grab valuable natural resources, the Times says. Maoists have escalated their efforts to sabotage roads and bridges, and even have attacked an energy pipeline.

The rebels present a new challenge to India, the Times says. In the past, the country has absorbed secessionist rebel groups by offering them participation in the political mainstream. But the Maoists aren't interested; they want to topple the system, the Times reports.

There have been efforts to open peace negotiations, but with the government offensive drawing closer, talks remain stalemated, the Times says.