Some initial thoughts on Maoist insurgents taking control of hamlets in West Bengal:
a) Discontent with local police and the high-handedness of CPI(M) cadres had been growing since last year in Lalgarh and the surrounding areas. Villagers have been gathering in large numbers to protest against atrocities committed by both sides. Yet, in the run up to last month's national elections, these developments were over shadowed and almost as if forgotten.
b) With the electoral losses of the CPI(M), people in these parts are emboldened to make their discontent known to all. They have been calling for better governance and gotten very little attention. Hence, their opposition to the police and political parties has allowed Naxals to come in and set up camp.
c) People in rural West Bengal have genuine grievances and no politician has sufficiently addressed them. The ruling party has used force to suppress them and opposition parties use them as fodder to advance their assaults on the current state administration. Now, that Maoists are gaining ground (and Maoists are considered a big threat to national security) all parties have backed out from coming out in support of the people's grievances.
d) The only way to bring back these territories under the rule of law is to send in police and paramilitary forces as no legitimate politician has any credibility in these districts to win the people's trust back. Such an assault will lead to the loss of innocent lives because it seems like the people are resilient. So, the Maoists will be able to continue their penetration of the area while politicians will have to use force as a means of last resort. Whoever orders security forces to enter Lalgarh now might have to give up his seat as there will be significant violence. No one has been able to come up with a practical alternative and till someone is ready to go in and take charge, we will have to sit and wait.
e) Poor governance and so many years of complacency has led to the current conflagration. The people who will suffer the most in whatever course of action is sought will be the people of Lalgarh in the West Midnapore district. They are stuck between ruling parties at the state and centre, between ruling and opposition parties in the state and between an insurgent movement and the security of the nation.
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Are there any positive developments that you think can arise from Maoists taking control of this area? Which services do you think will improve (if any) and which will suffer the most?
ReplyDeleteSomeone still hasn't learnt their "its" vs "it's" :-)
ReplyDeleteDan, the Maoists in India do not belong to a legal organization, hence the state cannot allow them to take control of any part of the country. It has to protect its citizens from any such organization as they act as per their ideology and not the law of the land.
ReplyDeleteOf course, the Maoists have found support due to the continued negligence of governance and economic development by the state. However, since the Maoists act in mysterious ways one cannot guarantee that they will actually provide what the state has not been able to. Hence, a simple operation to flush them out of Lalgarh will not be sufficient either. The regional and national governments in India must come up with a program to sincerely bring the backward regions where Maoists find support at par with the rest of the country in terms of law and order, economic opportunities and social infrastructure.
As for the grammatical errors on that post, I will be more careful in the future. Thanks, for pointing it out again!
Well finally something is happening in the state of West bengal. Something which the government has to think about. The Left has not done great guns for this state ruling it for over 25 years now. I think the Maoists movement will wake up the government and make them act. If they have to remain in Bengal they have to work very hard now.
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