My Letter to Tehelka's Editor Shoma Chaudhury

Hi Shoma ,

I have been reading Tehelka for a while now and admire your conviction for the people's causes . Since you have stated that you are ideologically left of centre i can understand your efforts to understand the maoist cause . But the problem with your approach is you criticize everybody at your sight and offer no alternate feasible solutions to the problem . This mail is to question your attitude to the problem you have written about recently .

"As long as the State sends brute force into its neglected heartland to reclaim its ‘writ’, Maoists will have an alibi " .

After i read the above lofty statement i felt that you have come up with a solution to deal with maoists . Far from that you criticized every body at your sight and proposed no feasible solution . You damned the state for sending their forces to reclaim the state's writ , you reluctantly criticized the violence inflicted on this country by maoists . 

There are 2 main assertions you made in your piece that are untrue . One is that this country's polity does not yield to democratic peaceful movements and the other is that the state could not solve the problem by deploying it's forces to the naxal ridden areas .

This country's polity yields to democratic movements . It is true that this country's politics has severe handicaps but it would be a blatant lie if somebody says democratic peaceful protests are ineffective . what was singur and nandigram agitation ? It eventually turned out violent but it was basically a mass movement specifically focussed on one issue . Why are the politicians scrambling to bring about the land acquisition bill ? Why are politicians scrambling to bring in lokpal even though it might not be in the form and shape proposed Anna hazare ? And there are numerous other occassions when people organized themselves peacefully against the government and have achieved spectacular results . By accusing Indian state of  pitting poor against poor Tehelka has subtlely supported the maoist cause . 

The Indian state has evolved from utter poverty , illiteracy and a feudal society . It is true that the we have failed on several fronts but look all around India and you will learn for yourself how difficult it is to build a state . The naxalites would have achieved far more success had they organized democratic movements around their causes but the problem of tribals is not their problem the problem is this very democracy and this very political system . They want to smash that and replace that with proletarian dictatorship . And the ruthlessness they are exhibiting to achieve that goal should have shocked you had you been motivated by ideology an iota less than what you are now . The government has repeatedly tried to bring development to those areas through various schemes but the maoist has thwarted that fearing that government will win back the tribals . They feared that their larger communist goal will suffer . All across the world wars happened , freedom , equality , justice and liberty could be given to their people by the leaders only if they were able to eschew violence . Those people who wouldn't want to fight for their freedom or their beliefs were condemned . The Indian state is fighting to defend it's constitution it's value system . And we are supremely confident that the Indian state will regain it's writ in those areas where naxals command and shall ensure that every citizen will get his justice .

A lot of jounalists in this country have started believing that damning India's politicians and Indian state is an ultimate gesture of patriotism . Learn to appreciate the state's will to protect your freedoms , there are democratic and really effective ways to counter the flaws of our country . No reason can justify an armed uprising against our democratic country . Absolutely no reason .

Jai Hind ....

Long live the Democratic India ...

Read more...