EDITORIAL

Who is responsible for Maoist Rebellion? 

Seeing the condition in some areas it persuades me to think whether the rise of Maoist rebellion is really unjustified. If some body is deprived the very basic needs like food , water and shelter in a democratic system for as long as long as six decades, even a sensible man would lose its faith in democracy system. The same has happened with simple, peace loving tribal people of Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Orissa and some parts of Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat. Why are we not seeing the root cause of rebellion? In state like Chhattisgarh which is rich in good quality raw mineral, is being leached out by mining industries, resulting in the annihilation of the tribal people and depriving them the natural resources. Maoist rebellion is result of fear of annihilation among the tribals. It’s totally imperative that growth of India is necessary and mandatory but the bigger question is at what cost. Do not the tribals in India have the same rights as people like us who consider our selves as educated, enlightened and responsible citizens? Aren’t they the citizens of India? When will our system recognize the very root cause of this issue? Will it take some more Dantewada events for the system to understand the ground reality? The 76 CRPF solders who died in the massacre are martyrs, but they were slayed not by some foreign terrorist organizations, but by our own citizens of this country. If a mother has more than one kid and if she cares and adores one of them most of the times, the other siblings are bound to get rebellion as they are not getting fair share of caring and affection which is their right. The governments forcibly possess fertile agriculture lands for diversion to SEZs, mining and industries thereby caring more for the industrialists than tribals….which retaliates into rebellion acts... One such case is the Mahuva region in the District of Bhavnagar of Gujarat which has arguably among the most fertile land where farmers grow three crops per annum, and also export mangoes, coconuts and other fruits. The abundance of farm produce has spun off agro processing units such as vegetable dehydration plants and cotton ginning units. The 51 dehydration plants reportedly employ 10,000 people churning a turnover of Rs.3 billion; whereas the corresponding figures for 18 ginning plants are 3000 people and Rs.35 billion. The region thus provides livelihood opportunities to about 10,000 farmers, 13,000 agro-industry employees and another 30,000 or odd farm labourers and artisans taking the total over 50,000 people. Recognising the agri-potential of this region the Gujarat government had invested tens of millions of public money during the last decade to build structures for water conversation and to prevent ingress of salinity in this coastal region. Contrary to its own earlier wisdom, Gujarat government decided to give 8,200 acres (720 for factory + 7,500 for limestone mine) of land in this very area for Nirma’s cement factory that would employ less than 500 people instead of the 50,000. Naturally, people of this region were horrified when they taught of this new development devoid of any thought for the welfare of the people whose interests the government is supposed to represent. For over one year people from at least 15 villages have been peacefully resisting the Gujarat government’s move for the ‘enclosure’ of their fertile lands just to benefit a corporate house. This project will destroy the livelihoods of over 50,000 people and eventually pauperize them and force them migrate to cities to eke out a miserable existence. Nobody would acquiesce in being pushed into beggary quietly and neither are these people silent about the assault on their livelihoods. .After a year long non violent protest and efforts to make the Government see reason failed 11,500 people signed a petition with their blood requesting it to desist from dispossessing them described as a frontal assault on democratic and human rights of these people. From Dantewada (Chattisgarh, Lalgarh (West Bengal), Jaitapur (Maharashtra), Narayanpatna (Orissa), to Mahuva (Gujarat); or from BJP, Congress, CPM, BJD, to DMK; it doesn’t matter which state or political party is ruling. The message is ominously the same. Mining and Industry is more important than people’s welfare or food. State cares about feeding hungry corporates having bottomless appetites with minerals, raw materials, land, water, forests and other common resources at the cost of the people in whose name they rule. While the talk is of development and progress for the poor and common people, the deeds are aimed at fattening the corporate, the legal persons, by pauperizing the citizenry, the real persons. The duplicity of the state is writ large everywhere. Time to act is now.