INDIAN states battling Maoist rebels are failing to win over impoverished villagers who form the left-wing extremists’ main support base, Home Minister P. Chidambaram said today.
“If villagers think that (Maoists) are their friends and the established government is their adversary, you cannot win the battle,” Chidambaram told a meeting of senior civil servants from Maoist-affected states.
There was a “trust deficit” caused by poor governance and slow development, he said.
“The villagers are not yet on our side or at least not all villagers are on our side.”
The Maoist movement, which began in 1967, feeds off land disputes, police brutality and corruption, and is strongest in the poorest and most deprived areas of India, many of which are rich in natural resources.
The rebels claim they are fighting for the rights of neglected tribal people and landless farmers and say their ultimate goal is to capture India’s cities and overthrow parliament.
“The most violent movement in India is not terrorism or insurgency but left-wing extremism,” Chidambaram said.
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, who has labelled the Maoist movement the most serious threat to India’s internal security, urged state governments to increase pro-poor welfare measures to help counter the rebels.
“Lack of development often leads to alienation,” Dr Singh told the same meeting.
“The development has to be meaningful, development has to integrated and it should be for the people.”
