“The theory, at any rate, seems to me utterly absurd, for communism is like a forest fire; it goes on burning and consuming anything and everything that comes in its way. It is quite possible that countries which are far distant from the centre of communism may feel safe that the forest fire may be extinguished before it reaches them, or it may be that the fire may never reach them. But what about the countries which are living in the vicinity of this forest fire? Can you expect that human habitation and this forest fire can long live together?” –Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, Parliament Debates, Vol. 7A (Council of States), August 26, 1954, pp. 469-83
The so-called liberated zone controlled by the Maoists is on the path to experiencing genuine freedom and development. The forceful occupation of the forest lands by the Red Terrorists is being freed, and the Scheduled Tribes, the true custodians of those resources, are given the experience of true liberation from the clutches of Maoists. While the last bastion of Maoists, Bastar and the surrounding region is witnessing the last battle to end the strategic occupation of this zone, we must understand and educate people about the real character of this ideology of ‘forest fire’ while strengthening the spirit of constitutional democracy.
The real character of Communist violent revolutionary ideology, starting from the Tebagha movement, then Naxalbari in Bengal, the People’s War Group (PWG) in the Andhra-Telangana region, Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) in Bihar-Jharkhand and CPI (Maoist) – the unified group of all variants, was never about tribals and their rights. All versions of Communism, from classical to new-Left, use the poor and downtrodden for meeting their ‘political ends’ as Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar once called out. The dream of Naxalism was nurtured in elite institutions such as Edward College, Presidency College, and later Osmania and Warangal Engineering College. The hypocritical faculty of members of Jawaharlal Nehru University and Hyderabad Central University provided the ideological cover and romanticism to this ideology in the form of Naxalism. The entire leadership of the Marxist-Leninist-Maoist ideology originated from educated, middle-class, and upper-middle-class youth who utilised the so-called Red Corridor – from Tirupati to Pashupati – as their strategic base. Tribal forest dwellers residing in the occupied region became their convenient cannon fodder in this game. Like the British, Communists also kept them away from the fruits of development so that they could be used for an illusionary revolution. The original Naxalism ended in 1969 itself, and the action was taken by the Congress governments in Centre and West Bengal, indirectly supported by the Marxist Communist parties whose base was under attack by the ‘revolutionary’ variant. They never tried to eradicate the virus of violent Communism. The academic glorification of the ideology based on the ‘barrel of the gun’ allowed the virus to mutate in various forms. While working to make Bharat Naxal free, we should keep this background in mind.
The attempts for judicial interventions, calls by Communist parties of all kinds, urban frontal organisations and leaders of Maoists to go for ‘dialogue’ are nothing but the last attempt to buy time for the dictatorial outfits to regroup. The fight is not just limited to the Bastar region but also extends to the urban centres. The real beneficiaries of the extortion business called ‘Naxalism’ will try their best to mislead and generate sympathy for their violent arm. We need to have an effective mechanism to educate people, especially the youth, about the true nature and actions of Maoists. Their exploitation of tribals and women, forest resources and attempts to derail development projects should be exposed persistently. The surrendered Naxals should be given a voice in this regard, as they have first-hand accounts of Maoist atrocities. Any attempt to foil the coordinated actions by the security forces must be foiled collectively.
The Union Government has been working in coordination with the State Governments to eliminate the menace. Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, and large parts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are already Naxal-free. The presence of BJP governments in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh is helping to implement a synergetic strategy, denying Maoists any scope to escape. Security forces are working in coordination with intelligence input and technological assistance. This war is ideological and cannot be won only in jungles. The variants of this virus will emerge to disrupt the path of cultural and economic resurgence with political stability. Hence, we need to vaccinate the entire society against this anti-democratic, anti-constitutional path of communism. The developments in the Bastar region will pave the path for real liberation for many people. The elimination of Maoism should be seen as a new beginning to reach out to the unreached so that the virus of Maoism would not infect our society and polity ever again.
