A Great Danger

General opinion is that the biggest danger the country is facing is that of terrorism and the common opinion about this terrorism is that they are outside forces specially related to Pakistan. This Pakistan related factor are Muslims hence terrorism is linked with Islam. Moreover America and other Western countries also have the same theory. Therefore our intellectuals in power invariably follow the same line which is followed by America and start thinking in the same bracket. American Intelligentsia is trying hard to convince that the type of terrorist activities they are facing and fighting back, as India is also facing it, therefore both should follow a similar strategy and the stand which America has taken up should be accepted by India as well. Probably for this reason America also wants to make India it’s ally. It says that terrorism is the biggest problem of the world and the danger which the world is facing is this terrorism only. In India a big and influential class is present from the beginning who due to their particular mentality and thinking are supporters of this thought so this has had a pressure on the current Government that it has to move ahead within these parenthesis and spend all it’s concentration and all it’s energies towards it. Muslim animosity had led it to such a level of negligence that it had turned away it’s eyes towards all other dangers. So much so that it has no sense of friends and foes, interests and profit or loss. This has created a big problem for independent foreign policy. Even though there are other dangers to the country’s integrity and these are not external rather they are internal.

One of the biggest dangers is that of Naxal anarchists, which is increasing day by day. Today the situation is that a big fraction of the country is affected by it and according to one survey the areas affected by naxal anarchists constitute about one fourth of the total area and these are those areas which are rich in natural resources. They are rightly known as the backbone of the Indian economy. Some parts of Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Bihar, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh are under it’s influence. It’s presence can also be felt in the North East. They are active in Jharkhand. The result of their anarchy is such that the peace and prosperity of the affected areas is destroyed. This issue has now become so complicated that it has become a very big challenge for law and order. It will not be wrong to say that in the areas affected by the naxal activities the Jungle Law is present. The police in these areas do not seems to offer any resistance. They don’t even consider the para-military forces. Every other day there are attacks on their convoys and prowl squads and sometimes they try to destroy them using landmines. No one can find an answer as to how can this matter be brought under control. The biggest proof is that no consensus can be arrived on this matter. Now matter of discussion is that whether to try and find the reasons and apply coercive methods or to give priority attention in solving the issues which have come up due to this. Some people say that absence of developmental works and general deprivation has created the present situation whereas some people have been saying that peace and prosperity is necessary to carry out developmental works and these naxals have destroyed this peace and prosperity.

01/08/09 Editorial, sehrozaDAWAT, translated by: Asma Anjum Siddiqui