‘Operation Green Hunt will escalate violence’
Historian Ramachandra Guha on Saturday warned that the Centre's ‘Operation Greenhunt’ is a misguided venture that threatened to wreak havoc in India's adivasi heartland.
Speaking at a convention titled “The War Within: The Maoists, The Tribals and The State” organised by Concern, a student group at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) here, he insisted that the need of the hour is for civil society to intervene to facilitate talks between the government and the Maoists.
While trying to bring out the nuances of globalisation because of which the tribals have grievances with the Indian state, he compared aspects of bad globalisation with the Reddy brothers in Bellary.
In his speech, Gandhian activist Himanshu Kumar of the Vanvasi Chetna Ashram in Dantewada said that recent history showed that state violence only served to strengthen Maoist ranks. Maoist ranks have swollen thirty fold since the launch of the State government-sponsored civilian militia Salwa Judum, which has been widely condemned for its violent methods, said Kumar who has been working in the region for more than seventeen years.
“Some people are calling this Chidambaram's war, but Chidamabram is not in it alone, he represents the interests of the entire ruling class of the country, which constitutes not just the cabinet or the parliament or corporates.” observed Kumar.
“The adivasi who has picked up his bow and arrow against the state is not talking of peace, he is demanding justice. It is these people that the government has allowed the air force to attack with helicopters. The problem here really is one of structural violence.”
Journalist and author of 'Red Sun: Travels in Naxalite Country' Sudeep Chakravarti said that a vast part of the country is affected by Naxalite violence though he clarified that 'Naxalites' themselves would call themselves Communists. “More than fourteen states in India are affected fully or partly by this extreme left violence”, said Chakravarti while emphasising that Maoists in India have very little to do with the ideology of Mao Zedong of China.
