The rise and rise of the Maoists: National integration and the radical groups - Part I

The PMO has branded the Maoists as a social menace and the single biggest threat to national security. The radical left ideologists are opposed by virtually all political parties representing the Indian electorate, concerned with the rapidly growing influence of the groups and its sympathisers across the nation, their activities slowly extending beyond the ‘red corridor’ of initial influence.As a nation we are spending a lot of our time, energy and resources trying to suppress the outbursts, the anger and many manifestations of the pain and frustration from decades of socio-economic disparity and deprivation.

I am definitely not a supporter of these radical groups or sympathiser of their means of protest, purely due to the fact that I am a firm supporter of democracy and do not subscribe to any form of ruthlessness, violence or indiscretion, that in any which way hurts the very foundation and fabric of this nation .

I just have a feeling, as a law abiding, tax-paying citizen of this country, that our establishments have missed a trick or just not inspired or competent enough to decipher the macro picture. We have got entangled in the myriad outbursts and the violent demonstrations and in the processes of enforcing cosmetic damage control mechanisms, rather than analysing the circumstances and drafting solutions to the bigger problem – the ‘causes’ themselves, those trigger such extremism. As long as the real causes of the collective anger of a large section of people remain unaddressed or unconsidered, it will to continue to sprout insurgents and radical groups, those who would chose extremism and violence over peaceful and democratic means, clamouring for rightful attention from the authorities and the of people of this country. The once feeble voices will start gathering greater support and momentum, possibly engulfing larger and more influential sections of the civil society. Involvement and moral support of more and more educated intellectuals from the social mainstream, to the mass struggles and the downtrodden fore-fronting these struggles, happening in many pockets of rural Bengal should be seriously considered as an omen of bigger things to come.

We blame the rebel leaders for instigating violence, for garnering groups to take up arms against the state and its administrators. But if one considers a contrarian viewpoint, if this great country and its citizens are already being administered as per the vision and promise of the founding fathers, if the pillars of its policies and programs are firmly entrenched into, meant for and are being executed for the overall welfare of the Indian people, why and how would a handful of radical leaders be able to turn an entire population against the state and its machineries? Should we believe that the ideologies, philosophies and policies of a few separatist and extremist leaders are far better and stronger than those propagated by innumerable freedom fighters who fought for a free Indian society shining bright with equality and tolerance or for that matter from those championed by hoards of notable social scientists and political ideologists and leaders, produced in the last five decades and even earlier, in this great democracy?

Time is ripe for collective national introspection and debate. The last and the most mindless thing we could afford to do at this point in time is to equate the primarily imported Jihadi separatists with radical leftists sprouting from within this country.