NAXALISM

Naxalism is the greatest impediment to the internal security of our country. The issue undermines the Sovereignty of India. The massive rise of issue is not overnight phenomenon, but mushrooming since 1970’s. The movement was initially started by Kanu Sanyal. The basic philosophy for the start of movement was to change the social order of the society and spread the message of social equality among the discontented land labourers and other oppressed section of the society. According to the naxals, achieving such objective by peaceful means is useless and resorting to rebel some nature is part of their policy. Mere exchange of bullets shall lead nowhere. The naxals too have caused lot of discontentment among the tribes. The new recruits of naxals have exploited the tribes, not adhering to discipline taking power contained in barrel seriously. They have departed from tough regulations of their cadre due to expansion amid an unexpected sweep of Influence. The power in them has corrupted themselves.

Naxalism has infested the heart of India, posing major threat to the internal security of India. It has infested many states Jharkhand, West Bengal, Orissa Chattisgarh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. Naxalism is not only a security issue but complex social-economic issue.

Naxalism is to a large extent a product of collective failure to assure to different segments of society their basic entitlements under the Constitution of India and other legislation. The naxals have capitalised on the discontentment of the tribal people and established a strong base among these people. Infact, some parts of Jharkhand viz.Kolhen are still not part of India legally because necessary changes in Independence Act are yet to be incorporated.

The naxals presence is influential in the mineral resources rich areas of Jharkand,Orissa,Bihar & Chattisgarah.For Infrastructure hungry nation like India, majority of the Iron-ore is concentrated in the naxal infested area. The mineral rich resource is totally surrounded by the naxalites. Thereby, blocking major source of development. It is interesting to know as to how the naxals established such a strong presence thereby undermining very Sovereignty of India. How could the Government not sense the growth of such massive power in the form of parallel Government?

How did the Govt let those areas slip out of its hands?

As stated earlier, the naxals capitalised on the discontentment of the tribal and oppressed. Despite the rich mineral resources in the areas the local people were never given their due share in the development. Rather they were robed of all the resources. Big Industrial houses like Tata, Jindal and Vedanta have major presence in mining. About 30,000 litres of water is sprinkled for mining when the local tribal have no basic drinking facilities. The land belonging to tribal is acquired forcefully without following the due procedure of law. The compensation offered is meagre and often given away to landlords who impersonate to be victim. About 39% of people residing in Chasttisgarh live below poverty line. The Government has not provided them with basic facilities such as drinking water, medical assistance, roads, schools etc. There is absolute void of governance and the void has been encashed upon by the naxal movement. The naxals have established own model of village governance that could have been done by the Government. The naxals form development committees to undertake development projects. The naxals dictate 30% of the seats in the state of Jharkhand. Infact the local tribes believe that the naxal movement has given confidence to the oppressed to assert their equality and demand dignity in the main stream society. The failure of Governance and not attaining welfare of people is the primary reason for growth of naxal movement. The Police which are trained to maintain basic law and order is trained to maintain basic law & order is suddenly gripped with countering such insurgency operations contrary to its objective. About 90% of funds allotted for police modernisation lie unutilised. However, gradually the situation is improving and the age limit of Sun-Inspectors is reduced by 11 years from 35 to 24 thereby improving the intake in police staff. The Government must make its presence felt in these areas by undertaking development projects viz.Construction of roads, Irrigation facilities, schools and basic health facilities. The major development required is construction of roads, because naxals fear roads as it hampers them from planting land mines and it shall improve accessibility to the area.

The Maoists have risen three fold, they have spread their operations in urban areas such as Delhi, Mumbai. However, the security agencies have detained them & kept a check on them. The Government needs to reach out to the tribes and other oppressed people, give their due share in development of the region.

The Government must undertake massive development revolution in the region with local participation and fill the vacuum of governance. The issue should not be allowed for excuse of misgovernance. It is complex problem and requires systematised and gradual solution.