Maoism & Terrorism

I read a news article today wherein I found Swami Agnivesh describing Mr. Chidambaram as a terrorist worse than the Maoists. In this article he has gone to discuss the character of the Maoists as great as if they are the embodiment of non violence. In the end I did not know whether to laugh or to cry. Swami Agnivesh must be expressing his frustrations here, as he was a mediator between the government and the Maoists some time ago and failed in bringing about a compromise which would have made him a celebrity across the country. Having failed in this exercise he finds in Mr. Chidambaram an easy scape goat. Was he that stupid to think that he could bring about a change in heart among the Maoists whose only aim is to grab political power by force? The targeting of Mr Chidambaram first started after he began going after what is now described as saffron terror. Since then he has been targeted by the RSS, VHP BJP and the entire right wing politicians as also by unemployed people like Subramaniam Swamy a person with zero relevance in Indian politics. He has been targeted by Naveen Patnaik who calls him a person wanting to destroy the federal structure and Jayalalitha who sees a rival in him in Tamil Nadu politics. Now we see him being targeted by the Swami Agnivesh. Until he began going after saffron terror it is the same BJP and the right wing parties that described him as one of the best Home Ministers of independent India. Coming back to Swami Agnivesh, he talks about how the Maoists in their greatness released all their hostages recently which include the two Italians, the MLA and the District collector. He has however conveniently forgotten the two security guards of the collector who were butchered for simply doing their duty. He has forgotten all the ordinary policemen who have been killed in their hundreds, the local people who have been abducted and killed on suspicion of being government spies. What about them? Don’t they matter to Swami?. Are their lives as citizens of the country less important to him? What about these great maoists who extort money from business houses and then indulge in rape, molestations and even burning down of hospitals and schools. I would have been a little happy if corrupt officials and ministers had been the targets of Maoists. Yet I find only ordinary tribals ( for whom the Maoists claim to be carrying the banner) being butchered and a reign of terror imposed in areas under their control. Also, they only target those young officials who have opted to work in these tribal areas and bring in development in those areas. They very well know that after crying hoarse for years complaining about the neglect and lack of development in tribal areas and creating sympathy for themselves, it is the development measures taken by the government and the people who implement them are their enemies. They know that if schools, hospitals, roads, electricity, water etc. are provided to the tribals, they the Maoists will lose their relevance and their power. Therefore they want to avoid development at any cost. The Maoists have only one interest and that is to grab political power through the barrel of a gun. There is only one solution to this menace. Anyone who questions the might of the state and takes up arms against it needs to be crushed and crushed so badly that they never raise their head again. So far our governments have been very weak and soft towards the Maoists and have sought appeasement. It is now time to crush them with whatever means that are necessary. Be it the para military or the armed forces themselves. Today Naxalism is a greater enemy than the Al Qaida terrorists and it is growing by the day. Mr. Chidambaram is perfectly capable of doing so, but for this he needs support from all sides. Our narrow minded politicians are trying their level best to derail his efforts. Sometimes I even wonder if these might be on the payroll of the Maoists.