[Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached

[Rakesh Iyer]

Dear Pawan

This is for both you and those blog writers you keep finding. You can pass
on this message to them too if they are your friends or even if you agree
with them.

Chidambaram is one of the biggest fools and hopeless ministers of this govt.
And I would repeat this statement again and again. He doesn't even
understand how he is going to solve this problem. He is not willing to bring
about police, judicial or administrative reforms. Neither is he ensuring
that there is ground level intelligence against Naxalism. The intelligence
doesn't even know how many Naxals are there in India. What will he and his
home ministry achieve at all? What kind of strategy can you formulate based
on unavailable information?

Which dream world are you and others living in? Chidambaram and company will
never be able to solve it. At best, they may temporarily result in Naxals
going underground, only to surface again back in the open, ala Emergency.
And that will involve victimization of innocents.

For solving a problem, one needs to know the situation on the ground. I
repeat it. And it's not being intellectual or being a Maoist sympathizer. I
am not Arundhati Roy who romanticizes the violence of the Maoists while
condemning the violence of the right-wing brigade of India or that of the
Indian state. All violence must be condemned. Without understanding it,
talking of 'crushing' and fighting this 'war' is only media hype, nothing
else.

The govt. has nothing in place to counter Maoists. And even things which I
have stated are not new. They are there in the public domain for so many
years. To implement them will take next 10-12 years minimum, and that too
will involve violence.

The best way, unfortunately whether you like it or not, is to call Maoists
to talks, or so I felt before this incident. And before you call me a
sympathizer, let me remind you that it's the Indian state which has ditched
talks against Naxals through some activity or the other. But now that talks
can't be done, reform the administration. Get the police changed. Start
reforming the administration. Give tribals the rights to their own land. And
you will see things changing. It's indeed surprising that while Dantewada
remains in the grip of Naxals, neighboring districts like Sarguja have no
Naxalism as the govt. schemes function reasonably better.

Rakesh