AN APPEAL TO THE
INDIAN PEOPLE AND MAOISTS
Cochin 14th July
The sovereign Republic of India stands for socialism,
egalitarianism, trans-religious secularism and national unity
based on fraternity. Our
independence had one basic structure ‘to
wipe every tear from every eye’ as was declared in the
historic speech of Nehru in his tryst with destiny address.
There was a pledge in the Preamble to the Constitution
that justice, social, economic and political will be ensured to
every member of Indian humanity.
But three score and three years thereafter, we, as a
Nation have much to answer for and account to generations in the
past and in the future. Expectations
on Independence darkened into deprivation and depravation into
dread, hunger, homelessness have-not status and finally despair.
This economic destitution by gradual degrees and social
estrangement by slow process though of the masses forfeited the
people’s faith in the instrumentalities of the Constitution
viz., the executive, the legislative and the judicative
instruments. Inevitably
when the State failed the confidence of the people they took to
the streets, to the jungle and to lawlessness.
Terrorism was the next step ubiquitously shaking up peace
and sense of safety development.
This is the genesis of Naxalism, Maoism and other forms
of extremism. Government
instead of creating conditions to win back the confidence of the
people resorted to guns and police weaponry.
Long ago President Eisenhower of the U.S had warned:
“Every
gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired
signifies-in the final sense-a theft from those who hunger and
are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world
in arms is not spending money alone.
It is spending the sweat of its labourers, the genius of
its scientists, the hopes of its children.”
The consequence was
inevitable that more people became desperate. The masses got
alienated and bullets did not and could not generate a milieu or
haven, of tranquility when the policy of Government aggravated
militancy and demoralization.
Many parts of India ceased to be safe and peaceful.
Today the situation has deteriorated so gravely that
Maoists are able to fire on the military.
The State has virtually abandoned the peace process and
resorted to dereliction of law and order hoping that the
soldiers are a more reliable force than peace and justice
processes and civilian forces.
Some move here and there to talk peace through dialogue
and by tranquility through sensitive statesman who tried
transformation of social conditions.
Swami Agnivesh, a great Indian patriot who stands for a
casteless society, religious amity and non-violent conditions of
life responded to the challenge of Indian tumult and
confrontation, hoping to initiate a fruitful process of dialogue
as a measure of Gandhian non-violence as distinguished from
Godsey’s gun politics. He
struck a note which was the beginning of social justice by a
dialogue with Azad, a leader of Maoists whose response was
positive and radiated some rays of hope in sight.
Alas! A gory Government without a vision shot dead Azad and
strangled the prospect of peaceful negotiations.
What a gaffe egregious error!
What a monstrous mistake in the place of a mellow move of
moderation begun well and with better promise fulfillment of our
tryst with destiny! Agnivesh
is bitter. So am I: and so are the thinking millions of Indians
who do not want extremism but seek smiling moderation.
We are all disappointed that the Government’s negative
noxious policy of handling with military methods is jettisoning
the Buddha and Gandhi heritage.
Is the Home Ministers dialogue strategy a travesty?
May I appeal to the President and the Prime Minister and
the wise Sonia Gandhi and to the leaders of all political
parties with sense and sensibility to express their exasperation
over the killing of Azad and appeal to the extremists
unconditionally to come for talking table?
Don’t lose your head and dialogue for Shanti convincing
the Maoists and others of their ilk that the State means
peaceful streets and homes, not bullets or AK 47.
India is yours as well.
Build it sans violence.
Let the masses and the classes of the country rise
for peace and human rights.
Let us stand for the right to life in dignity and for
egalite and economic justice and not allow a mafia element in
Government where the rich, rigid obscurantist obduracy becomes
the policy makers, and the indigent underdogs more indigent,
more crushed. Hope,
not despair should be the fundamental policy of great
Government. The
grand green negotiated policy will win. It
harvests contentment and contain extremism. The alternative is functional chaos, administrative
anarchy and farewell to public welfare tears and cadavers and
social justice. Azad
killers are culpable. A
judicial enquiry is the nation’s desideratum.
I make this appeal not out of pusillanimity but out of
patriotism.
July
14, 2010
V.R. KRISHNA IYER