Today in Andhra Pradesh the Naxalite
issue has become the prime issue for both politicians and people. As a result
last year there were talks between Naxalites and government which could not
break the ice. The old situation is renewed with new vigour from both sides.
The whole issue needs a careful review from a historical, social and global
perspective. To treat this problem as a law and order issue may be suicidal.
During the last half a century
neither democracy nor armed revolutions could deliver the goods. People are
dissatisfied with both. If revolutions got bogued down in gun culture, democracies
are deeply drowned in the culture of corruption on one side and in the market imperialism
on the other. Common people are harassed by both and educated by none to be responsible
citizens. Hence it is high time that common people take a fresh look and exhort
both parties to have self-introspection to find new ways and means to make both
revolution and democracy successful. I say this because both have the same goal
to help the people for solving their problems unitedly with dignity, self-respect
and self-confidence.
Both democracy and revolution
believe in 'Bahujana Sukhaya Bahujana Hitaya' (happiness to majority,
good to majority). Both know that a small section of the selfish organize
themselves to exploit the people and to corner the fruits of the labour of the
people to enrich and empower themselves.
Democracy assures the bahujanas (majority)
that through legislation and effective implementation of law and order, the
selfish alpajana (minority) would be punished. But the tragedy has been
that the present day democracies instead of punishing the guilty are slowly handing
over the institution of government to this selfish alpajana (minority).
Thus the situation is manifesting 'Alpajana sukhaya Alpajana Hitaya' (happiness
to minority and good to minority) at the expense of Bahujan (majority). People
are restless, but they are disorganized. Every organized institution is under
the influence of the selfish corrupt Mafia gangs. Politicians and bureaucrats
to save their skin dance to the tunes of this organized selfish corrupt Alpajana
(minority). The democratic dictum of Bahujana Sukhaya Bahujan Hitaya (happiness
to majority and good to majority) has gone to winds.
On the other side violent revolutionaries
depend on guns and arms which are external to their physical being. They
believe in the dictum that power comes through the barrel of the gun. But the
gun is not a part of their being. If the gun is removed from them
revolutionaries are helpless. Violent revolution converts the conscious active
revolutionary individuals to ahuman,
asocial, amoral, non-revolutionary physical matter that is the gun. Hence it is
time for the revolutionaries to think afresh on these issues.
Till 50 years ago when the European
imperialist powers were ruling almost entire Asia and Africa there were freedom
struggles in which huge populations got involved either actively or passively.
So there was a revolutionary atmosphere in the majority of the people of the
world. One revolutionary atmosphere supported any other revolutionary
atmosphere in any corner of the world. It was in those days Mao said that power
comes through the barrel of the gun. Also that was the time when Chinese people
were docile as addicts to excessive opium usage. To activise and awake such people
Mao used this strongest possible method at his disposal. A gun holder has to be
active, alert and ever ready both for defense and offence. That situation is
not there in any other part of the world; much less in India. Even in the
Islamic countries they are using religion as the primary weapon -- relegating
gun to secondary position.
Today all those erstwhile political
colonies have become independent. Majority of the people are interested in
gaining material welfare than working for a violent revolution. Though state
institutions have become a part of bourgeois democracy, still a large number of
people are ready to co-operate with democratic structure rather than take to
arms. Violent revolutionaries have to take this situation into consideration.
50 years ago there was more moral
and human concerns even though there was concealed structural violence like
untouchability, caste system and poverty. Today the market economy is spreading
the gap between the rich and the poor is also increasing several fold. Hence
those moral and human concerns are slowly diminishing. This situation has
created a condition where immoral and inhuman actions are becoming more and
more part of our daily life. I am afraid, not only politics and economy but
also even revolutions are influenced by this situation. So neither a violent
revolution is able to bend the government, nor the government violence is able
to totally suppress the violent revolutionary fervor. Thus both the government
and the violent revolutionaries have to search for new means to achieve their
common goal of serving the people.
Most of the problems society faces are old
problems. If the old methods could not solve the old problems till now, where
is the guarantee that the same old methods will solve these problems in the
future. On the other hand, the market imperialism has complicated the problems
in such a way that people are influenced to accept whatever is there than to
rebel. For this reason, we need new tools, new means and new weapons for
revolutionary changes. That is why there is a need that all of those who believe
in revolutionary changes should rethink about continuing the old methods, old means,
old tools and old weapons.
It was Mahatma Gandhi who addressed
this question and thought afresh. His invention of Satyagraha and Constructive
Work as new tools has opened the spectrum for improvement. The anti-social
elements are more organized today than earlier. The good people in the society
are disorganized. Violent revolutionary means are unable to organize the good
people to fight against the evil forces. Involving more people to fight against
the evil is more important than few people taking to arms. Hence a time has
come that those who believe in revolutionary changes should come together and
explore the possibilities of such means, which can be used by ordinary people
in an open society.
Politicians and peoples'
representatives are as much trustees of peoples' welfare as much as
revolutionaries. Hence both of them should think of changing their old means to
solve the problems. In this search Civil Society should play a major role to make
both parties i.e. violent revolutionaries and government to promote a dialogue with
the people on this issue. As it would involve more sections of society with concern,
that would reduce tensions. In this effort success may not come immediately. But
the effort itself is a worthy incentive for future success. Advancement of
technology is also influencing the human behaviour. But technology is amoral,
asocial and ahuman whereas change for better is basically human. Hence those
who are interested in change for better and equitable human relations should
try to inculcate more and more humanness into the means of change. This applies
to both those who control the traditional power of state and economy and also
those who use revolutionary means. In such a situation means and ends are not
contradictory of each other but they will be complementary to each other. Then
in spite of contradictions some form of synthesis can be achieved in various
efforts that are working for a better human being and for a better human
society. So let us be bold enough to take risks and to progress together.