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Friday, Sep 24, 2004

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DO IT TOGETHER

IF THE MEETING of Chief Ministers and Home Ministers of the naxalite-affected States in Hyderabad is a welcome step, it was only to be expected that there would be divergent views on how to handle this major problem confronting the States in the Andhra Pradesh-Nepal corridor. While Andhra Pradesh has already taken a few steps towards holding talks with People's War (PW), neighbouring States do not want any talks in isolation. Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Orissa in particular seem nervous about the prospect of extremist violence migrating to their territory as a direct result of Andhra Pradesh having a stand alone ceasefire. The key question now appears to be whether there should be a Central or at least a multi-State initiative on dealing with the naxalites. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy for one is convinced that law and order being a State issue, the affected States should seize the initiative. Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, who seems to be of the same mind, has asked the States to open talks. But the other States prefer a Central initiative so that there is a unified approach to the naxalite problem.

The fact that the Union Home Minister, the Special Adviser to the Prime Minister, three Chief Ministers, and some Home Ministers from the affected States participated in the deliberations makes it clear that an attempt is at last being made to put together a framework for peace talks with the naxalite groups, including the ones banned in several States. The Special Adviser, M.K. Narayanan, has cautioned that naxalite violence, which haunts 125 districts across 12 States in varying degrees, is set to hit another 24 districts. The strategic objective of the naxalite movement, it would appear, is to create a "Compact Revolutionary Zone" extending from Nepal to Andhra Pradesh. The point of departure, which should have been the focus of the Hyderabad conference, is Andhra Pradesh's decision to engage the PW in direct negotiations. It has moved forward, inviting the PW for talks on Gandhi Jayanthi, October 2. The other States seem unhappy with this initiative, evidently worried that the naxalite groups might turn their attention to the forest tracts adjoining Andhra Pradesh.

Aside from dealing with the extremist violence, the Centre and the affected States must take a more serious and sympathetic look at the socio-economic and political inequities that encourage the growth of naxalism. The Centre has launched a few special programmes to assist naxalite-affected States through Backward District Initiatives and also through other Centrally sponsored schemes. It is up to the States to utilise these funds imaginatively rather than merely go in for modernisation of the police force. Before the other States can get to the stage of talking to the naxalite groups, they should at least focus their energies on tackling the causes of these problems — improving the socio-economic conditions of the tribal people and taking the fruits of development to their doorsteps. In the process, they are likely to realise that in order to reach the tribal pockets where the naxalites hold sway, they need a peaceful milieu and a reasonable degree of public order. It is a vicious cycle: there can be little development without peace and to bring about peace, there must be development. The time has come for political India to put all its weight behind the Rajasekhara Reddy approach of nothing ventured, nothing gained.

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