Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Ban on Maoists

The Centre’s decision to ban the Communist Party of India (Maoist) declaring it a terrorist outfit may be justified. But it is difficult to accept that all other ways of finding a solution to the Lalgarh crisis — such as making an honest effort to ascertain what led to it and trying to untie the knots of neglect and indifference — should be closed. It cannot be denied that successive governments have neglected development in tribal areas and done little to curb corruption in welfare programmes.

The tendency to resort to police action to sort out political, social, and economic issues is unfortunate.

R.J. Khurana,

Bhopal

The ban on the CPI (Maoist) is unfortunate. The social and economic disparities force some sections to resort to extreme steps. State policies have always favoured the corporates and the rich. It is only natural for the exploited and the marginalised to vent their anger on a system that has shown little concern for them. It is in vain that the government exercises its authority to obfuscate its own shortcomings.

Sunil Yadav,

New Delhi

The CPI (M) leadership is right in saying that misguided outfits should be tackled politically. But Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram, apparently with a view to getting political mileage out of the Lalgarh issue, has banned the Maoists as if he is a strong defender of democratic governance in West Bengal.

If that be so, he should have been equally firm with the Trinamool Congress whose leader Mamata Banerjee has been a supporter of the Maoists in her own way. It is significant that she has not struck a dissenting note to all that has been happening in West Bengal. This, in a way, has encouraged fissiparous tendencies in the State.

N.G.R. Prasad,

Chennai

The basic issues of the marginalised sections need to be addressed if a lasting solution is to be found to the unrest in Lalgarh and other naxal-infested regions. At the same time, we cannot accept violence in a democratic set-up. The Centre’s decision to ban the CPI (Maoist) is welcome. Naxalites pose a grave threat to internal security. The need of the hour is a two-pronged approach — establishing the rule of law in the naxalite-affected areas and addressing the legitimate grievances of people in backward regions. A ban on the outfit will serve no purpose if the real issues are not addressed.

Irfan Shamim,

New Delhi

The Centre had no alternative but to ban the CPI (Maoist). No state can permit lawlessness within its borders. That said, it is also the duty of the State governments and the Centre to address grass roots issues. Politics should be kept out while tackling the menace of Maoists, who are creating serious law and order problems in many States.

D.B.N. Murthy,

Bangalore

The Maoists challenged India’s sovereignty by assuming control of the Lalgarh area and keeping the government machinery at bay. The West Bengal government should have no hesitation in taking action against them.

M. Xavier,

Eruvadi

The ban on Maoists, though overdue, is welcome. No group can be allowed to indulge in mindless violence and terrorism in a democratic set-up. The Maoist offer of dialogue with the West Bengal government on the Lalgarh issue — provided the joint operation by the Central and State security forces against them is dropped — should be rejected outright.

C.V. Subbaraman,

Ahmedabad

The banning of the CPI (Maoist) is a bold decision. One hopes the move will set the tone for the UPA government’s functioning in the coming days.

It should also try to bring the leaders of banned outfits to the negotiating table. Banning an organisation is not an end in itself. It is important to ensure that another naxalite outfit is not born.

Satheesh Chellikkattil,

Bangalore

The view that naxalism should be seen as a larger issue, not as a law and order problem, is misplaced. Modern naxalites have shed the principles on which the movement was based.

Today, naxalism has more to do with looting, arson, extortion and power. It is no longer a movement dedicated to getting justice for the poor and the exploited.

G.M. Rama Rao,

Visakhapatnam

The Maoists have long moved away from their prime goal of fighting for the uplift of the poor. They kill police personnel and innocent people just to show their strength. Such acts do no good to society. They should be crushed. The Centre’s decision to declare the CPI (Maoist) a terrorist organisation is a step in the right direction.

A.P. Srikanth,

Hyderabad

The terror unleashed by Maoists has taken its toll in the surrounding areas too. The West Bengal government should work with the Centre in eliminating the naxal menace.

Rayala Kali Charan,

Hyderabad

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