Planning Commission-appointed Committee tells Government 'Stop shooting and start talking to Naxalites'
Stan Swamy It is every day news that different State Govts are asking the Central Govt for more and more funds to acquire more modern weapons and equipments to tackle the Maoists / Naxalites in their respective states. The Central Govt also goes on releasing more and more funds with the hope that Naxalism can be finished off one day. (get figures...) We all know 13 of India's 29 states have been affected by Naxalite insurgency. India's prime minister, Manmohan Singh, has described the movement as the biggest domestic security threat facing the country. Some 698 deaths were reported in 2007. So the Prime Minister, the government, the ruling and the urban middle class think that the Naxalism should be finished by the barrel and the bullet. Yet not every one thinks so. The Committee appointed by India's Planning Commission itself does not think so. The committee comprised eminent persons such as Prakash Singh, former Uttar Pradesh DGP; Ajit Doval, former director of the Intelligence Bureau; B.D. Sharma, retired bureaucrat and activist; Sukhdeo Thorat, UGC chairperson and K. Balagopal, human rights lawyer. In its report the Committee urged the government to focus on the discontentment that fuels Naxalism. It also urged the government to seek peace talks with Naxalite leaders. Causes: (1) On the growth of Naxalism, the report said that while policy documents admitted direct correlation between extremism and poverty, in practice, the government treated it as a law and order problem. "It is necessary to change this mindset and bring about congruence between policy and implementation," the panel said. (2) It was found that the districts where Naxalism had grown were different from developed ones in 10 ways: [a higher percentage of poor], low literacy, high infant mortality, low level of urbanization, high forest cover, high share of agricultural labour, low per capita foodgrain production, low level of road length, high share of rural households without bank accounts, and high share of rural households without specified assets. (3) Naxalites have found willing recruits among some rural poor, who feel left behind as India rushes to modernize. Forest-dwelling tribal people, in particular, have suffered displacement by large development projects - including dams - and a government failure to ensure food security. The Committee argued "Decades of total neglect of local tribal masses by various governments in welfare schemes and the government's failure to work out a proper plan for the social and economic development of tribals have nurtured Maoism". Land alienation, poverty amongst scheduled tribes and dalits and lack of access to basic forest resources have contributed to the growth of naxalism, says the Planning Commission. (4) How do the Naxalites maintain themselves? They do extort money from those who they can reach, and those who have ill-gotten wealth such as project contractors / brokers. The fear of violent retribution makes people pay money. Those who pay up include politicians - big and small, corrupt government servants, businesses and rich landlords. Besides, the rebels also raise funds through contributions from sympathisers and activists. Suggested Remedies: (1) They recommend laws like PESA; the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005; and The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 be implemented in full earnest in order to ensure people their land and rights. (2) They recommend all debt liabilities of the weaker sections be liquidated . Where the debtor has paid an amount equivalent to the original principal and where intended benefit for which the loan was taken has not accrued to the borrowers should be written off (3) The report states "Public purpose" in the Land Acquisition Act should be limited to national security and public welfare and should not be stretched to acquisition for companies, cooperatives and registered societies. (4) The report targets amendments contained in the proposed Land Acquisition (Amendment Bill) 2007: "These proposals need to be further revised to minimise displacement and secure the rights of affected displaced persons." (5) Moreover, the expert group has recommended, the power granted by PESA to gram sabhas to prevent alienation of land should be extended suitably to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, beyond the scheduled area. (6) It says the tribal sub-plan be brought under the Fifth Schedule, that forest produce be provided protection in the form of minimum support prices and all petty cases registered under forest legislation against tribals and poor people be withdrawn. (7) "It is imperative that the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 be implemented properly, so that those affected by extremism are not only rehabilitated with land but are also ensured a livelihood," (8) The expert group also feels there is a need to bring the naxals into the mainstream by giving them a stake in the mineral-rich area they occupy. "This will give them some sort of security of their land." It is heartening to know the views of this expert Committee of the Planning Commission. Who are, after all, these Naxalites / Maoists? They are our own brothers and sisters from impoverished situations where government has failed them completely. Their militancy is an offshoot of frustration and desperation. We may not agree with some of the methods they use, but we cannot doubt their commitment to the poorest of the poor. Let us look at them as human beings and as fellow citizens. LET US MEET THEM AND TALK TO THEM. Independence Day 2008
