As the AICC General Secretary rightly pointed out, there is absolute mis-communication between the government and the Naxals. He has it spot on when he says that the delivery mechanism for implementing government social development schemes in rural areas has collapsed.
A movement that started in the small village of Naxalbari, West Bengal in the late 60s has reached such a magnitude that the Prime Minister considers it “the greatest internal security threat to our country.” This raises a lot of questions about how and why this movement is becoming so popular in the rural and semi-rural states of the nation.
The answer lies in the question itself. The rural and semi-rural states of India have been ignored by the government time and again. There is little or no economic development and taking up arms is probably the only way for these villagers to lead a somewhat dignified life. Practically all states with large areas that have been cut off from mainstream India like Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa are under the ‘Red Thumb’ of the Naxals. Hundreds of men and women who haven’t been able to find any kind of employment have joined this movement in the hope of making ends meet. Leave alone employment, even basic facilities like roads, water, sanitation or health facilities are not available to them. Years of neglect and high-handedness by the government have made the people of these areas resentful and bitter and they are venting their frustration through violence.
In the past few years, Naxals have caused damage to the State worth millions and killed hundreds of innocent lives including hundreds of police personnel. The government hasn’t managed to curb their growing influence and acts of destruction.
From the Naxals’ point of view, it is a complete failure of government machinery. After the recent round of attacks in various parts of the country, the government has come up with a unique plan of paying each Naxal a stipend every month.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs is contemplating some form of financial assistance to the Naxals: a stipend of Rs.2,500 per month and Rs.300,000 as a fixed deposit to those who are willing to lay down arms. The government is confident that the 10,000 Naxals who are currently burning down the nation will surrender once this scheme comes into effect.
Naxalism started due to people’s resentment against the government. Since the resentment has only grown dramatically during the past few years, to what effect will this new strategy work, remains to be seen. Prejudice against the government is so deep that the new ‘bribing’ scheme seems headed for certain failure. The Naxals took up arms only after a lot of provocation, and if any government wants to solve this growing menace, it needs to come up with a plan that goes to the root of this problem instead of attempting just to buy them out.
A movement that started in the small village of Naxalbari, West Bengal in the late 60s has reached such a magnitude that the Prime Minister considers it “the greatest internal security threat to our country.” This raises a lot of questions about how and why this movement is becoming so popular in the rural and semi-rural states of the nation.
The answer lies in the question itself. The rural and semi-rural states of India have been ignored by the government time and again. There is little or no economic development and taking up arms is probably the only way for these villagers to lead a somewhat dignified life. Practically all states with large areas that have been cut off from mainstream India like Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa are under the ‘Red Thumb’ of the Naxals. Hundreds of men and women who haven’t been able to find any kind of employment have joined this movement in the hope of making ends meet. Leave alone employment, even basic facilities like roads, water, sanitation or health facilities are not available to them. Years of neglect and high-handedness by the government have made the people of these areas resentful and bitter and they are venting their frustration through violence.
In the past few years, Naxals have caused damage to the State worth millions and killed hundreds of innocent lives including hundreds of police personnel. The government hasn’t managed to curb their growing influence and acts of destruction.
From the Naxals’ point of view, it is a complete failure of government machinery. After the recent round of attacks in various parts of the country, the government has come up with a unique plan of paying each Naxal a stipend every month.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs is contemplating some form of financial assistance to the Naxals: a stipend of Rs.2,500 per month and Rs.300,000 as a fixed deposit to those who are willing to lay down arms. The government is confident that the 10,000 Naxals who are currently burning down the nation will surrender once this scheme comes into effect.
Naxalism started due to people’s resentment against the government. Since the resentment has only grown dramatically during the past few years, to what effect will this new strategy work, remains to be seen. Prejudice against the government is so deep that the new ‘bribing’ scheme seems headed for certain failure. The Naxals took up arms only after a lot of provocation, and if any government wants to solve this growing menace, it needs to come up with a plan that goes to the root of this problem instead of attempting just to buy them out.
