Political Diary

New Delhi, 31 October 2009

Helplessly Watching Menace Swell….

NAXILITES: RUTHLESS KILLERS

By Poonam I Kaushish

From mining roads in Andhra Pradesh, blowing up bridges in Orissa, killing security personnel in ambushes and daring jailbreak in Chhattisgarh to beheading a policeman in Jharkhand and hijacking the Bhubaneswar Rajdhani train for over five hours in West Midnapore district in West Bengal… Indeed the ‘Red Brigade’ has not only come a long way but got mightier and deadlier with each killing. Earning it the incongruous lethal nickname: Bold & Beautiful!

More so after the West Bengal Government’s capitulation to the militants by releasing 22 suspected Naxalites in exchange for an abducted policeman. Each attack getting a befitting (sic) reaction. From Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s “Naxalism is the single biggest internal security challenge … they are creating ‘liberated zones’ … we needed two-pronged strategy…”  The same ghisa-pita drone

Kudos to Union Home Minster for his timely blunt warning against romanticizing Naxalites: “If the Naxalites accuse elected governments of capitalism, land grabbing, exploiting and displacing tribal people, what prevents them from winning power through elections and reversing current policies? Why are human rights groups’ silent?” Questions unanswered by deep silence.

Statistics show that Naxalism has cast a shadow over 17 States, 270 districts and 40 per cent of terrain where the Government’s writ no longer runs. And of the total of 12,476 police stations, Naxal violence was reported from 609 police stations in 11 States last year.

Clearly, the Indian State has allowed the Maoist problem to fester for far too long. How long have we been hearing that Naxalites are the gravest security threat, having spread to over a third of India's territory and claimed 600 lives this year alone? In 2008, the State police and paramilitary forces together lost 250 personnel in violence, whereas in the Northeast and J&K a combined 120 were killed. In 2009, till Sunday, the Maoists had already accounted for 170 security personnel; 67 casualties in J&K and northeastern states alone.  

According to the Institute for Conflict Management, of the 40 Naxalites groups active in country, the CPI (Maoists) constitutes the most formidable security challenge. That apart, the Red Brigade has capitalized on internal schisms that divide India’s highly inequitable social order through catchy slogans and beguiling rhetoric.

True, the Home Ministry has readied what would be the biggest-ever security operation against the Naxalites. Nearly 70,000 paramilitary forces have been mobilised to begin operations in Naxal-affected districts. Operations are expected to last anywhere between one and three years. But it's not just Naxal-infested areas that need beefing up of security. Studies have shown that at 145 policemen for every one lakh residents, India is way below the UN-mandated ratio. This situation needs to be rectified at the earliest.

Sadly, successive Government’s have missed the wood for the trees. The terrorist is an invisible enemy who uses our resources, freedom and laxities to hit at us. Adept in exploiting the latest communication technologies, he identifies and exploits our weakness. While we talk, he acts. Inflicting maximum loss at minimum cost. Add to this an effete polity bereft of any out-of-the-box ideas, wallowing in inane, obsolete and muddle-headed formulations to complex and important strategic issues. Resulting in a complete paralysis in policy-making and the operational command of enforcement and security agencies.

What the Centre needs is to think beyond the headlines, do some honest soul searching and translate words into action. Of a well thought-out long-term planning. It needs to realize that Naxal violence cannot be thwarted by force alone or tough-sounding words. We also need a political leadership and vision that delivers inclusive development, which can mitigate the underlying causes that have enabled Naxalism to take roots and spread. Visibly, they represent a failure of the sovereignty of the State wherein the rulers have miserably failed to uphold the rule of law thereby reflecting the failure of democracy per se in the affected regions.

Several measures need to be taken to tackle the menace. One, the lacunae in the Naxal’s ideological framework has to be exposed. Simultaneously a political offensive with a humanistic vision should be launched. Two, think of ways to neutralise their fast-growing domestic base, availability of hardware and human resource, collaborative linkages with organized crime, gun runners, drug syndicates, hawala operators, subversive radical groups et al. Three, the distortions in the social system need to be tackled on a war footing to alleviate poverty, ensure speedy development and enforce law and order strictly. Four, take up land reforms with a fresh revolutionary zeal and approach.

Look at the dichotomy. With a majority of India’s population engaged in agricultural pursuits, one would imagine the tillers would be rich. But it is the opposite. The peasants are not only poor but are at the mercy of the rich landlords. Providing the Naxals the perfect opening to wean the agricultural labourers with the promise of getting them their rightful dues in terms of not only wages but also give them confiscated surplus land from the landlords and distribute it among the landless labourers. Thereby laying the seeds of running a parallel government in remote areas, conduct people's court, extorting money from "landlords" and distributing the booty among the poor.

Simplistically, the Naxal USP is that they have sold the poor the pipe dream of implementing land reforms by breaking up large feudal landholdings and dividing the surplus land among the poor, a la Robin Hood. Something which successive governments at the Centre and in the States have lacked the political courage to do. Today, the downtrodden are saying no to oppression and exploitation.

Also, security forces need to urgently undertake joint operations and set up unified commands for continuous monitoring of the arms profile of various Naxal groups. Along with this, the identification of sources and networks, coordinated intelligence gathering, and a well-equipped local police force are needed, backed by a liberal surrender and rehabilitation policy. Measures to safeguard pro-active policemen against Naxalite harassment should be enforced. The police should avail of air-surveillance of Naxal areas through helicopters. Specially against the backdrop of the growing professionalism in Naxal ranks, which is now characterised by growing militarization, superior army style organization, better trained cadres and coordination.

Clearly, New Delhi is sitting on explosive dynamite. However, proper diagnosis and prescription is not enough. What is needed is political will to carry forward the agenda and so far India's ruling elite has proved unequal to the challenge of good governance.

In sum, when the State’s existence is in peril, the only way to strike back is to carry the fight into the enemy camp effectively. It is not enough to assert “we have might and muscle.” One has to display that power. The Naxalites, or anyone else for that matter, do not have the licence to take up arms. Rule of law is a prerequisite not just of democracy but also of development, both of which are negated when armed militias rule the roost. Anyone who breaks the law, whatever may be his motivation, must pay the price.

The only way for Naxalites to have a place in this country is to play by the rules of our Constitutional democracy. They cannot be allowed to be a law unto themselves and challenge the legitimacy of an elected Government. In a democracy, there is no place for guns or bombs. But, at the same time, the basic needs of the people cannot be ignored. Poor and insensitive governance is certain to lead to anarchy. As the Dalai Lama has rightly pointed out: "Peace can only last where human rights are respected, where the people are fed, and where individuals and nations are free." A long and hard struggle lies ahead. Are New Delhi and the concerned State capitals ready to face the challenge? -----INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)