Maoists won, Maoism lost

 

 

In this world there’s no dearth of rebels but it’s always a difficult task to find a rebel with a cause or the one who has not diluted his cause during the voyage. Across the world and in almost every continent, few men took the path of violence with the excuse of bringing an end to the tyranny and oppression that was being meted out to the people whom they represent. Yet as sand dunes of time coated layers over the horrid past, men with guns fell much in love with the charisma of commanding respect at gunpoint and the aura that comes with it. Eventually, as the original cause starts suffocating under the load of firepower, the organisation gets reduced to a mere money making machinery through extortion, contract killings and drug trade. Sadly, it would not mind killing even those for whose sake all that was started. So, while the ULFA has been steadily losing much of the grassroot support, thanks to its policy of mindless violence, and as Naxals now don’t think twice before killing any tribal if someone dares to defy their dictums, violence is becoming both the means and the end justification.

All across, children are indoctrinated and intoxicated to create killing machines in whose lexicon there is no word called remorse. Eventually, no one expects such rebel groups to do any good for the people in whose name they justify all their misdeeds. Yet amidst all the gloom, the Maoists of Nepal stand as an exception. Sadly, more than 13,000 people in Nepal had to pay with their lives in the decade long violence against the rule of monarchy. But the fact that the Maoists in Nepal knew when to give up arms is commendable. As their fight was essentially against the monarchy, once the purpose was served, it was time to bid adieu to arms and embrace democracy. Over here in India, it’s no wonder that for a long time, rural India was deprived and reduced to penury, with exploitation at the hands of landlords and officials becoming the norm, which was reason enough for uprisings. But in recent years, India has taken substantial steps to uplift the rural lot through a series of developmental programs. Yet when reports of demolition of school buildings, hospitals, Panchayat Bhavans and relentless killings of tribal come in, they raise questions about the real objectives of Naxals. Gone are the days of Mao and in Mao’s own country, more economic reforms have happened than anywhere else. The need of the day is not bloodshed in the name of change but to bring real change through fine tuning of the present system. Maoist chief Prachanda should be appreciated for reposing faith in democracy. In the victory of Maoists what was eventually defeated was violent Maoism.