this is in response to mouly's comment on indian state being responsible for naxalism:
we do have our fair share of problems and people have different ways of responding to adversity. but it is interesting to note that naxalism originated in bengal in 70s when it was among the top few most prosperous states in the country. and it found resonance in andhra which was not in the bottom half in terms of state patronage, poverty or law enforcement. goes to show that naxalism did not germinate in state failure alone.
once the ideology found its roots, it is easy to see how naxalism spread to those parts reeling under anarchy but i wouldnt attribute naxalism to state failure within the indian context. equally, it is easy to see how naxalism could have been nipped in the bud had the state been strong.
but as XR has said, it is the marxists who tend to attribute the birth or naxalism to state failure. it appears as a lame excuse to justify their existence and their fight against the state itself. "you created me because you failed, so i am going to fight against you" is a poor justification. instead, "you created me because you failed, so i am going to compensate for your weakness" is a more constructive approach. the latter is representative of indian ethos. this is the reason why we see citizen initiatives where the state has failed miserably in providing basic amenities. this is the reason why we dont see a million mutinies a day like in china. naxalism does not have any basis in indian culture; it is being thrust upon us and is trying to find some legitimacy.
we do have our fair share of problems and people have different ways of responding to adversity. but it is interesting to note that naxalism originated in bengal in 70s when it was among the top few most prosperous states in the country. and it found resonance in andhra which was not in the bottom half in terms of state patronage, poverty or law enforcement. goes to show that naxalism did not germinate in state failure alone.
once the ideology found its roots, it is easy to see how naxalism spread to those parts reeling under anarchy but i wouldnt attribute naxalism to state failure within the indian context. equally, it is easy to see how naxalism could have been nipped in the bud had the state been strong.
but as XR has said, it is the marxists who tend to attribute the birth or naxalism to state failure. it appears as a lame excuse to justify their existence and their fight against the state itself. "you created me because you failed, so i am going to fight against you" is a poor justification. instead, "you created me because you failed, so i am going to compensate for your weakness" is a more constructive approach. the latter is representative of indian ethos. this is the reason why we see citizen initiatives where the state has failed miserably in providing basic amenities. this is the reason why we dont see a million mutinies a day like in china. naxalism does not have any basis in indian culture; it is being thrust upon us and is trying to find some legitimacy.
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3 comments:
India's most respected newspaper has been turned into a mouthpiece of these Marxists with their failed ideology. And for years, the people who were responsible for this decadence went unchallenged. Until this blog came, that is. Its effect is being felt in a subtle yet crucial way.
The chindu is often referred to as the 'Granny of the Mount Road'. It is high time that we start calling it 'the Mullah of the Mount Road'.
Naxalism could have originated in the state of Bengal but it didnt originate in a wealthy neighborhood. It originated in utter poverty against landlords and land grabbers. The situation was fertile (created by state) for any extremist organization to exploit and the Marxists grabbed the opportunity.
Naxalism could have been nipped in the bud had the State was willing to do what is good for the people (who cares for the people anyway in the administration?!). Instead the political administration never had any intention to do good for the people. All that mattered was holding onto power. Thats all matters! Even now, naxal groups are being fed and funded by politicians and parties in many places of AP for their own benefit (it would be the same in other areas too).
You may want to brand somebody who attributes state failure to naxalism or extremism as Marxists but that will only reflect at best your ideology. Also I dont think anybody is making any justification for Naxalism (atleast not me).
I dont know if naxalism has any cultural basis in India or not but when you are pushed to a corner you ought to see a reaction. What that reaction is nobody knows.
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