Naxalites are performing an important function in areas where the state is absent. And the state governments know this.The latest example of a withering state is in Jharkhand - where the government has reportedly asked the Catholic Church to help distribute government largesse.  Many have criticised the move, but that is not the point.  Let us face it, the government is non functional in large parts of eastern India.  And functions poorly and in the self interest of the powers that control it.  The point I make is the same, killing Naxalites is not the solution - let us recognize first that the state has been acting in the self interest of those who control its forces, and the Naxalites are a response to a non-functioning and badly-performing state.

It is possible that the central government will succeed in killing or culling all the Naxalites.  But then we will reach a situation that might be worse - contractor-politician-administration-police nexus will exploit the land and the people un-impeded.  The Naxalites are right in their opposition to the forces of an exploitative state.   Though of course I would not agree with their means, but the point is, someone needs to oppose this - and the Naxalites are the only guys around.  To repeat, I would much prefer an opposition to the state of the Gandhian variety.  But someone needs to oppose these guys.

Note that the state government recognizes how badly its representatives operate in the hinterlands, and the Catholic Church being asked by the state government, is only one instance of how even the state government has given up on its own agents performing their duties in a fair and honest manner.

So how does one protect oneself against such agents of the state?  One goes to the Naxalites.  The less one trusts the state to act in a fair manner, the more powerful Naxalites become.

Last 5 posts by Laveesh Bhandari

• Irrelevance of the State and Naxalites - September 25th, 2009
• Handling Naxalites - August 8th, 2009
• Trust and economic foundations of peaceful progress - August 8th, 2009
• What education? - August 7th, 2009
• Need for introspection - August 7th, 2009

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