Two of every three respondents in Maoist-affected states believe the war against Maoism will eventually be won. But is the battle without end? The uncertainty is reflected in the fact that half our respondents thought so. These are the findings of a poll conducted for Outlook by Marketing & Development Research Associates (MDRA) on October 13-14 in Hyderabad, Calcutta, Patna, Raipur, Ranchi. Sample size: 519.
| Do you agree with the PM's opinion that Maoism is the ‘great internal security threat’ facing India? | |
| Yes | 86.5 |
| No | 10.8 |
| Don’t Know/Can’t say | 2.7 |
| Is the use of violence by Maoists (killing, beheading, etc) a justifiable tactic? | |
| Yes | 6.0 |
| No | 92.6 |
| Don’t Know/Can’t say | 1.2 |
| Do you agree with the home minister’s strategy of deploying the Indian army to deal with Maoism? | |
| Yes | 56.1 |
| No | 34.5 |
| Don’t Know/Can’t say | 9.4 |
| Should the Indian air force be allowed to fire back at Maoists firing at its aircraft? | |
| Yes | 53.4 |
| No | 40.3 |
| Don’t Know/Can’t say | 6.4 |
| Should locals be trained to help the State fight Maoists, like the Salwa Judum in Chhattisgarh? | |
| Yes | 76.5 |
| No | 14.5 |
| Don’t Know/Can’t say | 9.1 |
| Should people in Maoist-affected areas be evacuated before any strike? | |
| Yes | 85.4 |
| No | 12.5 |
| Don’t Know/Can’t say | 2.1 |
| In your opinion, are the Maoists justified in picking up civilian targets to make their point to the State? | |
| Yes | 6.4 |
| No | 91.5 |
| Don’t Know/Can’t say | 2.1 |
| Do you think the Indian State will win the war against Maoists? | |
| Yes | 64.5 |
| No | 22.5 |
| Don’t Know/Can’t say | 12.9 |
| What do you think is the main cause for growth of Maoism? | |
| Lack of development | 63.0 |
| Government policies which help big business | 19.5 |
| Exploitation of tribal land by government and big business | 6.6 |
| Police atrocities | 7.9 |
| None of these | 1.2 |
| DK/CS | 1.9 |
| How should the govt deal with the Maoist problem? | |
| Negotiate with Maoists directly | 50.5 |
| Use third-party mediators | 8.9 |
| Develop adivasi areas better | 26.4 |
| Use police & security forces | 11.4 |
| None of these | 0.8 |
| DK/CS | 2.1 |
| How should the Maoists deal with the government? | |
| Call a ceasefire, hold dialogue | 34.3 |
| Surrender and negotiate | 28.9 |
| Cooperate with the State & participate in development | 31.2 |
| Continue the struggle | 3.3 |
| None of these | 0.8 |
| DK/CS | 1.5 |
| How long will the fight against Maoists go on? | |
| Up to 1 month | 1.3 |
| 1-6 months | 5.6 |
| 6 months-1 year | 11.8 |
| More than 1 year | 32.4 |
| Will never end | 48.9 |
| All figures in percentage | |
