[Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached

[Pawan Durani]

http://www.dnaindia.com/opinion/main-article_dynasty-vs-government_1368625

The brutal massacre of over 75 security personnel by the Maoists in
Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district is a pointer to two things: one, the
men in uniform are ill-prepared for their challenges, and two, there
is a strange inconsistency between official assessments of the growing
Maoist threat and the political will backing those assertions.

Both the prime minister and the home minister have minced no words in
calling a spade a spade. While Manmohan Singh has called the Maoists
the biggest security threat to the country, P Chidambaram has promised
tough action to deal with it. But here’s the point: months after
launching Operation Green Hunt, it is not clear who’s hunting whom.
The Maoists have been more successful in intimidating the state —
aided by a cacophony of phony human rights advocates — than the other
way around. It is the security forces who are being hunted and
eliminated.

What explains this gap between thought and action? The answer lies in
the complete lack of will at the top of the political pyramid. This
means Sonia Gandhi, not Manmohan Singh or Chidambaram. Given the
extremely secretive nature of the Manmohan Singh-Sonia-Rahul Gandhi
interface, it is not possible to conclusively prove this, but it is
reasonable to presume that Sonia is not actively backing the
government in its anti-Maoist campaign.

We certainly haven’t heard a single Sonia statement on Maoism that
backs the official stand of her government. At best we have had
non-descript statements deploring violence — something similar to what
the human-rightswallahs mumble when confronted with the latest Maoist
atrocities. In her last statement before the Jharkhand polls, Sonia
said “there is no place for violence in a democracy” — a motherhood
statement at best. Her son Rahul blamed non-Congress governments for
the Maoist violence, neatly deflecting the issue.

This reluctance to back their own government on a hard policy issue is
in sharp contrast to the way the dynasty hogs all credit for the aam
aadmi schemes implemented by the UPA government. From NREGA to farm
loan waivers to extending coverage under the food security bill, Sonia
and Rahul are seen to be driving the government’s actions. They vanish
whenever there is talk of an oil price hike or action against Maoists.

There is some political method to this madness. A substantial chunk of
the future vote bank of the Congress lies in the tribal belts where
missionaries are active. This is also the area where the Maoists rule.
But we do not hear of any clashes or even tensions between the
soldiers of god and the mercenaries of Mao. On the other hand, we do
have a case of a Maoist claiming “credit” for murdering a Hindu
religious leader who was also doing missionary work in the tribal
areas of Kandhamal — a traumatic event that triggered a terrible
massacre of Christian tribals in retaliation. So what’s the nexus?

It is interesting to note that the jholawala sympathisers of the
Maoists have attacked the Government of India and the states for their
anti-Maoist operations. They have criticised local resistance groups
like the Salwa Judum in Chhattisgarh, but not Sonia or Rahul. One
thing is starkly clear. The Manmohan Singh government’s main job is
not to do right by the country, but by the dynasty. As long as the
decisions taken are politically acceptable to Sonia and Rahul, it’s
fine. But when political capital has to be expended in the long-term
interests of the country, the family will be far away. What else
explains the reluctance of Rahul Gandhi to join the government when
the PM was more than willing to give him a chance? The decision to
decline power gives him obvious advantages: the media tom-toms this as
a great sacrifice, something that proves that the Gandhis are not
power-hungry. Actually, they are only wary of accountability.

It is not surprising that the government chose this moment to
resurrect the National Advisory Council (NAC) under Sonia Gandhi — an
unnecessary appendage and extra-constitutional authority that inhibits
real accountability in government. The official reason given for
reviving NAC is that the party needs to monitor the implementation of
its pro-poor programmes. Wouldn’t it have been simpler to appoint
Rahul as programme implementation minister? But then he would have
become accountable to Parliament and even the PM. Horror or horrors.
How can a member of the dynasty be accountable to a mere PM or the
legislature?

The dynasty is internally playing the same role in UPA-2 that the Left
was doing in UPA-1: demanding power without an iota of responsibility.
Sonia and Rahul are involved only in the spending decisions that will
presumably ensure re-elections. They are stonewalling or opposing the
harder decisions that true governance calls for. You never hear a
Sonia or a Rahul talking about fiscal prudence, targeting subsidies
better, implementing reforms, or public sector autonomy. This does not
serve their political purposes.

Let’s be clear. Manmohan Singh is the dynasty’s fall guy. He had
better watch out.