By
Nitya Chakraborty
Now
that the Congress has won convincingly in the state assembly elections in
Chhattisgarh and formed the Government after fifteen years of rule by the BJP
headed by Dr. Raman Singh, the time has come for the Congress leadership at
both state and central level to take up real dialogue with the Naxalites and
make sincere efforts to go into the root of the problem of violence in the
affected districts.
The
course is not easy and it needs patience and earnestness to deal wit this
delicate issue which has been bleeding the state since its formation. Rahul
Gandhi has got an opportunity to project himself as a real defender of the
rights of the poor and the tribals if he focuses on this issue at his party
level and instructs the new Congress government to take initial steps to create
a congenial environment for dialogue. The process should start right now and
already there is the example of West Bengal where the Chief Minister Mamata
Banerjee successfully neutralized the naxalite movement in Jangalmahal area
consisting of five naxal affected districts by intelligently isolating the
extremist leaders from the general supporting masses by introducing various
schemes for bringing the youth and women to mainstream.
For
the time being, in Chhattisgarh, like Bengal it can be the dual responsibility
of both the centre looking after the security aspects in the sensitive
districts and of equally of the new Congress government which will start the
process of negotiations at the peoples level and also make efforts to contact
the leadership of the naxalites. Some of the extremist leaders may not respond,
but if the supporting base of the naxalites feels tat the new Congress
government is following pro people policies and has delinked itself from the
earlier programmes of the BJP led government favouring the contractors and the
salwa judum, there may be rethinking . Once the new schemes for the tribals of
these areas start getting implemented to their real benefit, the results will
start coming. It may take time but the process of alienation of the common
supporting naxalites from their extremist leaders who are not for dialogue,
will intensify. The entire process will take time and require right tackling
but it is possible.
One
encouraging sign of the recent assembly elections in Chhattisgarh is that the
naxalites supporters looked with some hope at the Congress manifesto this time.
The Congress has won 11 out of 12 seats in Bastar region and it was evident that the Congress workers got
more advantage in their campaign in this area from the local tribals as against
the BJP candidates. There were definite signs that the tribals were looking to
Rahul Gandhi with some expectations. The tribals in this region have been
cheated many times by the political masters, nobody kept promises, but still
hopes do not die and they are hoping again that something good might emerge.
Congress
President Rahul Gandhi has to ensure that his state government does not once
again dash the hopes of the Bastar people who voted in large numbers the
Congress candidates to defeat the BJP. The Congress manifesto mentions of
initiating dialogue with the Maoists. The dialogue should be earnest for
achieving results and not for just show. The Congress has to get rid of the
influence of some leaders who were part of the salwa judum gang. The state
Congress party must project a radical programme which can really give relief to
the tribals in the naxalite affected region. The Congress manifesto has talked
of giving each naxal affected panchayat Rs. 1 crore. This has to be done in
consultations with the panchayats which are already functioning there. The
naxalites control major areas in this region where they have established pro
people facilities also. Those can be protected and they can be involved in
formulating bigger schemes for the people of the affected districts. More jobs
for the youth, free quality education and improved health care are the minimum
that have to be ensured for bringing the tribals to the mainstream.
The
Congress government has to withdraw immediately the pending cases in the courts
against the human rights, activists, lawyers and trade unionists who were
implicated by the erstwhile BJP government on different charges for defending
the interests of the poor tribals. Rahul Gandhi has to ensure that his
government gives a fresh signal that the Congress government will allow the
NGOs and the human rights oranisations to work among the tribals without fear
contrary to the situation in the last fifteen years.
In
its manifesto, the Congress has promised to hike the prices of forest produce,
to implement the Forest Rights Act, 2006 and Land Acquisition and
Rehabilitation Act (LARR) 2013.These are sure to bring benefits to the tribals
in the Bastar region and it should have a positive impact in dealing with the
Naxalite activities. These should be taken up immediately and the impact must
be visible before the Lok Sabha elections. The Congress has to show a new face
of its leaders in the Bastar region. The Party must sideline the leaders who
have connections with the contractors and Salwa Judum. The tribals and the
present naxalites must have the feeling that the party of Rahul Gandhi is not a
party of contractors and forest mafia, this is a party looking after the
interests of the poor. If they get this feeling, the extremists among the
Maoists who do not favour dialogue, will be isolated. And that should be the
ideal strategy for the success of the programme on mainstreamisation of the
naxalites.
The
Congress President should take up this challenge. He can even think of a two
week padayatra in Bastar region along wih the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister
Bhupesh Bhagel. The Congress can reinvent itself not only in Chhattisgarh but
in the entire country if the Party leadership succeeds in starting the process
of reconciliation with the naxalites in the Bastar region. (IPA Service)
The post Rahul Gandhi Can Undertake A Padayatra In Bastar Region appeared first on Newspack by India Press Agency.
