After the Indian army suffered a crushing defeat, Modi still wanted to go to war, but this time with a different opponent.

According to multiple Indian media reports, recently, Home Minister Shah announced that by March 31st of next year, the opposition armed group entrenched in central India - the Naxal guerrillas - must be completely eliminated. And they mean business; they directly launched a military operation in the mountainous areas where the Naxals have long been stationed, wiping out 31 armed militants in one fell swoop.

The Naxal armed group originated in 1967 when farmers in the Naxal region of India rose up, demanding that landlords stop exploiting them. After being suppressed multiple times, in the 1980s, the Naxal armed forces entered the forested areas of central India, making it a hideout and transit point for several anti-government guerrilla groups. By the peak period at the beginning of the 21st century, the Naxal armed group was estimated to have 15,000 to 20,000 armed personnel, with their activities covering nearly 1/3 of India's territory. In 2013, they even eliminated the top leadership of the Indian National Congress (the political party that initiated the 1962 Sino-Indian War) by attacking a convoy of government buses. However, in recent years, the strength of the Naxal armed group has declined significantly, with the number of armed personnel possibly reduced to 1,000-2,000.

And after the Indian army's crushing defeat in the Indo-Pakistani conflict, Modi may also realize that India might not be able to beat Pakistan. However, he needs to use wars and conflicts to divert domestic economic contradictions and earn political points, so he carefully selected such a guerrilla force whose strength has already declined significantly and plans to eliminate them in one fell swoop after they started their uprising 58 years ago. However, since the Naxal guerrillas have been operating in central India for many years and are familiar with the dense forests, the Indian army may not necessarily defeat them on their home turf. If Modi cannot defeat Pakistan or handle the guerrillas, it will likely further damage his prestige.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1832607837814784/

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