Arundhati Roy's article Walking With The Comrades that appeared in March 29 issue of the Outlook is a case in point. She sees all evil in Indian authority. She writes "On one side is a massive paramilitary force armed with the money, the firepower, the media, and the hubris of an emerging Superpower. On the other, ordinary villagers armed with traditional weapons, backed by a superbly organised, hugely motivated Maoist guerrilla fighting force with an extraordinary and violent history of armed rebellion. The Maoists and the paramilitary are old adversaries and have fought older avatars of each other several times before: Telangana in the ’50s; West Bengal, Bihar, Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh in the late ’60s and ’70s; and then again in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra from the ’80s all the way through to the present. They are familiar with each other’s tactics, and have studied each other’s combat manuals closely. Each time, it seemed as though the Maoists (or their previous avatars) had been not just defeated, but literally, physically exterminated. Each time, they have re-emerged, more organised, more determined and more influential than ever. Today once again the insurrection has spread through the mineral-rich forests of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal—homeland to millions of India’s tribal people, dreamland to the corporate world." If this is not glorifying violence what else is.
She talks of class divisions and caste inequalities. Were the jawans who were ambushed by these 'Robin Hoods' very rich? Most of them were sole bread winners of their families. These writers see everything wrong with development projects in India. Everything is evil with corporates. How do you want tribal to live? You want them to live in same cultures which have no significance in this age. Of course the environmental issues must be addressed. The habitats should not be destroyed. But is it not being done by J. Ramesh, our minister for this same job. He has recently objected to Adani's project in Maharashtra and is at loggerheads with Mr. Kamalnath, another minister for highway project land. And what your 'Robin Hoods' do? They charge 'protection fee' from corporates. Most corporates don't have problem giving that. Now you decide who is better?
Now if you think Maoists have people support, why don't they contest elections? Some of these 'intellectuals' doubt about fairness in elections. Was the election in Bihar, which had been under Lalu rule, not fair? I don't have to go too far. I am a resident of Uttar Pradesh and last elections were very fair. But the reality is something else. The support for Maoists is thin (and it is forced in some cases) and after this massacre, they will lose further support. This article points out the questions raised by sister of a tribal jawan killed by 'Maoists' and clearly points to the fact that time for romanticizing violence is over. Like most insurgencies even this will subside.
