The winter of early 2014 had waned, and Manmohan Singh too was headed towards the end of a decade-long run as the Prime Minister (PM) of India. Like a whirlwind, the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, was poised to storm the portals of power in Delhi. Before officially relinquishing his post, the suave and mild-mannered Singh invited a select group of editors to a breakfast meeting.

A question popped up during the general conversation to list three important issues that remained unfulfilled during his tenure. Of the three issues he cited was the Maoist insurgency, which PM Singh felt, despite the government action, was spreading across the country.

He felt that if the trend continued unabated, then within a few years it would have enough firepower to create a wedge in the centre of India. His fears weren’t unfounded. The Maoist insurgents were running a parallel government in many districts of Maharashtra, Telangana, and West Bengal. Their regional units decided who could bid for government contracts, and whether mobile towers could be set up or not, among other things. Even schools and police stations were under their influence.

The Maoists would organise jan adalats (people’s courts), hold hearings, announce........

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