Mao Zedong’s disciples in India are at the savage extremity of an ideology that cannot be justified in the civilized world. Propelled to the dizzy heights of ‘revolution’, thanks to their invention of a concept that runs counter to the essence of democracy but thrives on romanticized poverty, the cadres of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) have no time for a reality check: that the masses whose cause the Maoists ostensibly champion, are no longer attracted by the cowardly form of Maoism as was reflected in the beheading of Jharkhand policeman Francis Induvar the other day. The fact of the matter is that if at all the people in the Red Corridor seem to be with the Maoists, it is not out of spontaneous empathy but out of fear. And the people by now have realized the cost of supporting the Maoist ideology all these years: they have become poorer, far more backward; their region far more undeveloped because to prove their capabilities, the Maoists have targeted every symbol of development attempted by the government. However, the Maoist leadership continues to pretend that Maoism as an ideology and practice is still attracting more and more from the downtrodden lot, so as to justify violence.
Of late, the UPA government has shown some resolve to root out Maoist terrorism. (Many would disagree to the use of the word ‘‘terrorism’’ to describe today’s Maoism in India but the reality, given especially the Taliban-inspired beheading of a policeman who was only doing his duty, is that like all other insurgent-turned-terrorist outfits in the country, the CPI(Maoist) too has already breached the thin line of difference between insurgency and terrorism. Where does ideology figure when you kill people so savagely?) We welcome the ultimatum that Union Home Minister P Chidambaram delivered to the Maoists on Wednesday: that they will face the might of the security forces unless they give up their armed struggle. He made it clear that ‘‘as long as the CPI(Maoist) believes in armed liberation struggle, we have no option but to engage them’’. Indeed, if such macabre killings as Francis Induwar’s and blowing up of symbols of governance and development were to continue, a responsible government would have no option but to go all out against terrorists masquerading as people’s warriors and weed them out from their areas of control. The state cannot be a mute spectator to the siege of several parts of the country by cowardly killers. Yet, and very importantly, while the government is duty-bound to decimate terror groups pretending as champions of exploited people to justify violence on innocent men, women and children, it cannot afford to lose sight of the factors that provoke armed rebellion and help it sustain for years together. Maoism in the country has stemmed from the vicious cycle of poverty and exploitation of an already destitute people. These are difficult times though, with the government having to be left with the only option of defeating Maoism in its terroristic avatar by force. But the root of the menace must not be forgotten in that engagement. Empower the people who have all along suffered at the hands of exploiters. Let them have a feel of democracy. Let them be an equal partner in the process of nation-building. And then see the many so-called revolutions in many parts of the country vanish like a puff of smoke. THE SENTINEL
Of late, the UPA government has shown some resolve to root out Maoist terrorism. (Many would disagree to the use of the word ‘‘terrorism’’ to describe today’s Maoism in India but the reality, given especially the Taliban-inspired beheading of a policeman who was only doing his duty, is that like all other insurgent-turned-terrorist outfits in the country, the CPI(Maoist) too has already breached the thin line of difference between insurgency and terrorism. Where does ideology figure when you kill people so savagely?) We welcome the ultimatum that Union Home Minister P Chidambaram delivered to the Maoists on Wednesday: that they will face the might of the security forces unless they give up their armed struggle. He made it clear that ‘‘as long as the CPI(Maoist) believes in armed liberation struggle, we have no option but to engage them’’. Indeed, if such macabre killings as Francis Induwar’s and blowing up of symbols of governance and development were to continue, a responsible government would have no option but to go all out against terrorists masquerading as people’s warriors and weed them out from their areas of control. The state cannot be a mute spectator to the siege of several parts of the country by cowardly killers. Yet, and very importantly, while the government is duty-bound to decimate terror groups pretending as champions of exploited people to justify violence on innocent men, women and children, it cannot afford to lose sight of the factors that provoke armed rebellion and help it sustain for years together. Maoism in the country has stemmed from the vicious cycle of poverty and exploitation of an already destitute people. These are difficult times though, with the government having to be left with the only option of defeating Maoism in its terroristic avatar by force. But the root of the menace must not be forgotten in that engagement. Empower the people who have all along suffered at the hands of exploiters. Let them have a feel of democracy. Let them be an equal partner in the process of nation-building. And then see the many so-called revolutions in many parts of the country vanish like a puff of smoke. THE SENTINEL
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