Battleground Bastar...

Time has come, if you will ask any common man in the Bastar region - about the most important "local issue" in this poll, reply will come rather rhetorically: "What else?". The very same issue was even raised by Mrs. Sonia Gandhi (Congress Prez) in her speech at Kondagaon in the tribal dominated state of Chhattisgarh.

Naxalites didn't fall from heaven nor did they emerge from hell. They were an answer to incomprehensible forms of exploitation of the tribals of this land by the trio of forest officers, police and local contractors dealing in forest produce (some even with the blessings of politicians). 

No effort is on to resolve the crisis that prime minister Manmohan Singh once called India's biggest internal security threat. But some argue that the country's biggest threats are not the naxalites, its the corrupt politicians.

As the 12 sets of Naxalite-infested Bastar region go to the polls this month amid unprecedented security (1,00,000 additional forces deployed), there seems to be no solution in sight to the problem.

Interestingly some people hint at why it is "politically lucrative" to have naxalites around. So much money is pumped into the state in the name of combating Naxalite violence. A few days ago, the Union Rural Development Ministry allocated INR 500 Crore saved from the National Rural Livelihood Mission to Naxalite-affected districts in the country. Another INR 500 crore would be provided from the savings in the Backward Regions Grant Fund.

The state chief minister Mr. Raman Singh has maintained that his govt. has been "aggressive" in handling the Naxalite menace. Which is why out of a sense of retribution, the Naxalites are hell-bent on disrupting the polls this time around. And as fate would have it, the local opposition leaders don't agree. 

Senior police officers state that the Naxalites are still ideologically in favour of armed struggle and it is not easy to resolve this issue. Obviously the so-called intellectuals sitting in Delhi have no idea what ground zero looks like.

The locals have gone tired of seeing continued oppression and bloodshed. Much to the embarrassment of Raman Singh, none other than Union tribal affair minister Kishore Chandra Deo termed Chhattisgarh's actions as "notorious" in conducting anti-Naxalite operations that usually affect innocent tribals. But the state govt says that it is the Naxalites who use tribals as human shields to fight the forces.

Naxalites, this time are expected to do whatever is possible to disrupt the polls, not just because they reject the Indian Constitution as a bourgeois idea or democracy as a sham. This time around there are other reasons as well. They are finding it very difficult to recruit new cadres, specially because many tribals are getting exposed to the outside world and want to lead an independent life. Hence all the guerrilla strikes over frustrations for their dwindling strength. The forces have made deep inroads as well, leaving the reds even more angry. 

Probably that is why they ambushed the Congress convoy in May. Their main target was Mahendra Karma, the local Congress leader. But the attackers didn't even know who Karma was. They had to ask other Congress leaders until Karma stepped forward and identified himself. 27 people were killed in that attack, including Former Congress stalwart VC Shukla who succumbed to injuries later in a hospital.This has to be an indication of their sheer desperation. 

They are extremely upset about the reverses on their turfs. But this has to be the last phase of the last nail in their coffin. There is a gradual shift in the balance of power. However, such optimism in well-guarded govt. offices in Raipur (the state capital) hasn't yet reached the verdant forests of Bastar, where there are still thousands of people yet to caste a vote in their lives. One reason is inaccessibility - even polling officers have to walk 10-15 km to the polling stations for want of roads in the otherwise spectacular hills. From many villages, voters have to travel 70 km to vote. The other reason why people stay away is that there have been unconfirmed reports of Naxalites chopping off fingers of those who had dared to vote.

Dense forests not only make it impossible to hunt down Naxalites, but also to hold elections. They still roam around in broad daylight and the locals know it. Officials of companies doing business in that region know that once the forces leave after elections, they will be back to square one. Unconfirmed reports put the total value of extortion in the region at INR 4,000 Crore a year.

Renowned American military strategist, cold warrior and historian Mr. Edward Luttwak suggests the "Green Beret" solution. He suggests India to raise and train a well-paid elite force which, like Green Berets have all the skills but are not commandos. Their job will be to live in and integrate with the tribal community, help them with medical care, with community projects and generally become accepted as trusted friends. The Green Beret, officially known as the United States Army Special Forces, are trained in, beside combat tactics, in languages, culture, diplomacy and politics. 

However, above all planting a seed of green in a sea of red is easier said than done. It will take more than tokenism to foster trust there.