The Naxal question

Our Prime Minster Mr.Manmohan Singh has stated Naxalism as “the greatest internal security threat to our country". And he also stated that, "“We are ready to talk with any group whether in Jammu and Kashmir or in naxal areas provided they shed the path of violence.”

Certainly some encouraging words in a perspective considering the recent increase in the Naxal insurgency. The attacks, ranging across Central India spanning from Jharkand & Bihar in West to Maharastra in the east, have increased both in number and violence.

Initially I was still not able to understand the sudden increase in number of attacks, is it because they are getting more funds, organized training from some where? And also why suddenly our Government is so much focused on eliminating these people when there even bigger problems and matters to negotiate.

Then it dawned on me that Central government was forced to act against these people who are a hindrance to the mining which is going to be carried out in Central India, for which contracts worth millions have been signed. Hence, if these people are there they won't be able to freely ravage the forest lands, for the land belongs to these people.

One needs to travel across decades to know the real intensity of the problem. The word Naxal has coined when in 1967, 20 years after India's independnce, a group of youth from the village of Naxalbari, West Bengal, frustrated by their poverty, impressed by Mao's ideals, staged attacks over the local lords and tried to seize control of the lands and secure it for the poor. With time many Naxal groups sprang into action and never at any point of history they was good coordination between the different groups.

To these people Independent India meant nothing, as the existence of Indian state had no effect on them, which continues to this day. They have not been given education, health coverage, bare them all they don't even have roads even to this day. Hence their question is, why should I give back my land to the Indian state, the land which is the means to my survival, the land which is God to me, which has not done anything to me so far, which doesn't seem to do any good in the future also.

Isn't their question valid? Their means are certainly questionable, they are lot of innocent people who have suffered a lot due to their acts, there is no denying it. They need to be rooted out for the existence of the Indian State.

However had the Government have functioned properly we would have avoided this bad situation, does the Prime Minister or the Home Minister accept publicly that, "Indian State is responsible for the sufferings the people of Central India are in."

Sometimes I ask myself this question, what exactly is this Indian state? It doesn't care for the people or their problems, all it cares about is that it must have a clean chit in the world.

I believe it's time we jump in to make sure that the Indian State functions as it needs to be. I will try to think of and discuss in coming weeks regarding what can be done from our side to make sure the State functions as it needs to be.