In a very short span of time, starting last November with the attacks in Lalgarh, Naxalite menace has become a hotly discussed issue from the high echelons to the power to informal chats in every nook and corner of our nation. Everyone seems to take it for granted that the Naxalites are a menace to the nation. But the question we should be asking ourselves is why are these people and why have they became a issue of national importance now, whereas a short time back they were local issues that we dismissed with a fleeting glance.
These people are a part of what Madhukar Shukla calls the invisible India. Invisible lives in the faraway villages, forest areas and the urban slums. They are the people who have almost no control over their own destiny. Only thing that they do is hope and believe. Hope for better monsoons, hope for enough work to earn something for their basic needs, hope for safe health, hope for at least a meal a day. Another they are supposed to be doing is believe. Believe what the babus who come every four years or so believe what they promise and vote.
Why do A a section of people have to live as 'invisibles' in a modern society? Firstly the media and we the 'visible' society doesn't care for such people and the challenges they face.We are content to live in the a bubble where media acts as an anesthetic to such issues. What most of our mainstream media caters –the news, the advertisements the debates everything –is aimed at the visible India. We who are are a part of visible India are the ones who live in the 'Matrix' like world created for us by the media. We care and hotly debate ceaselessly about India's nuclear strength compared to Pakistan, GDP rise compared to China, Indo –US deal , stock market , cricket triumphs, celebrity marriages etc . They buy the products endorsed by their favourite stars on TV and hangout at malls and cinemas every weekend. The media interested only in keeping this section of society who are potential consumers for the products they advertise -satisfied .The media and the visible India are indifferent about the Invisible counterparts. They are not interested in the basic issues which they take granted for themselves. In reality the lack of education, nutrition or healthcare, and other services is more chronic than in the picture painted before us by the media. Only when something terrible and unexpected happen does visible India care to turn back and look at the invisible India. From this stems the second reason for the invisible India to exist
This has got to do with the people whom we,directly or indirectly, elect to power, to ensure the welfare of each and every citizen of our nation. India , fortunately, has brilliant strategists, bureaucrats and statesmen at the helm of various departments and committees that steer our nation's general policies. But somehow their visions have not been executed well and the benefits of crores of money spent on empowering various sections of the society have not been utilised well. There are corrupt and criminal politicians, corrupt officials and in some cases corporates who are ready to woo these people in power for their own benefits. The funds and schemes aimed at the welfare of the invisibles get diluted by the greed of these individuals and forces which are free to continue to do so since neither the media nor the civil society actually notice such malpractices.
These two factors, the apathy of the media and the rest of society and the corruption in the corridors of power, are the root causes of the problems that keep the huge section India invisible even after six decades of the promises that came with our independence. They lack basic infrastructure like roads and electricity and services like hospitals or schools and find it impossible to even dream of living conditions that we enjoy. Few years back an official committee looking into these put it like this "We have two worlds of education, two worlds of health, two worlds of transport and two worlds of housing'' .Add to this fact the rogue ideologists -with or without external help -who still dream of taking over the power through armed struggle and the incompetency of local security forces in nipping such tendencies from the bud. And it easy to see why we hear terms likes 'prisoner of war' and 'war against the state' in such a situation. It is out of desperation that the youth who support Naxalites do so (although the cases of forced recruitment have also been reported).For them they can divert the attention to their long unattended needs only by breaking our comfort zones that . And this seems to be working for them at least on a short term basis. (But whether such a form of protest is justified in a democratic society –even in situations of dire helplessness – is an entirely different question)
What is the way out of this situation?
On one side there has to be an immediate solution of reaching with peace with the extremists so that no more damage happen to the civilian life and the public property. Government has taken a commendable stance by acknowledging that those who have taken to armed struggle too are also our part of our nation and that no democratic nation uses military against its own citizens. By calling for unconditional talks it seems they are taking the responsibility to fulfill the legitimate demands of naxalites more seriously. On the other hand the naxalites have to understand the fact that their dream of taking over power through armed struggle will remain just a dream and that in democracy it is through dialogue and not through violence that solutions are reached and accept the offer of the government.Secondly the Government have to start taking steps -with the cooperation of states and local authorities and relevant NGOs- for the continued development of the areas which act as breeding grounds for extremism. Back in 2008 government had announced a huge fund for the development of tribal areas to be implemented with the cooperation of other players. More such steps with more focus on infrastructure development and improvement of human conditions must come up in a timely manner .Basic infrastructure needs to be developed along with equipping the security forces in such a way that unwanted elements are unable to spread their vendetta against state .
But what remains to be seen whether such plans for development,as happened several times in the past, remains on paper due to the corruption and vested interests of various forces. Naxalite challenge should act as a wakeup call for the entire nation to ensure that the benefits of various efforts reach the target group's .And the media and the civil society have to play the role of watchdogs by paying more attention to the way these plans are executed.Only then can we prevent such challenges from repeating themselves.
