India’s  Home Minister P. Chidambaram  owned “full responsibility” for the loss of 73 lives of Central Reserve Police Force  in an ambush by Maoists in  Dantewada, Chattsgarh, last week, and he had even offered  to resign , the offer which was rejected by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.  Indeed , it is a gesture which  was meant to offer consolation to the  bereaved families and also to demonstrate a sense of accountability  to a shocked nation.

There are many questions  which will remain unanswered  despite a probe as to what went wrong and how and why of it. The fact  is that 73  CRPF personnel were massacred in the jungles of Dantewada. Their families will have to bear this loss for rest of their lives, but a larger  question that needs to be addressed is  not only about the training part of paramilitary forces , but also as to how those were being used  and with what objective.

There is no clarity. The politicians are day-dreamers. They feel as if any problem on this planet can disappear with their one word. The Naxal problem is that of essentially class struggle, it grips at least seven Indian states and the Maoists who claim to be fighting for the rights of downtrodden, have gone in  for one after another audacious attacks. They have killed informers and security personnel alike and they have not even hesitated to hijack trains and blow up the railway tracks. Their fight is against a system.

It should be addressed. Neither guns achieved anything for Maosists in Nepal  nor would they in India . Today or tomorrow Naxalities will have to come to negotiating table  and sort out the issues. Their use of guns is serving no one, and the least  the poor sections of society which they claim to be representing or fighting for. At the same time, this also is a fact that the  use of security forces against  Naxalities  is a  futile exercise.

The dialogue is the only option . And, for any dialogue to succeed, it’s a must that the  government should  create an atmosphere for dialogue . Bullet for bullet, bomb for bomb policy has failed even in  the hot spots of the world, be it  Palestine, Israel,  Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia.  These countries have experienced worst kind of violence where the troops  of these countries and  those of the United States, the United Kingdom and other countries have suffered huge losses. The United States has registered a new  tragic  milestones in getting body bags from  the places where it claims to be fighting for liberty  of the people from the clutches of terrorists , still the objectives are nowhere in sight.

Mr. Chidambaram is a well-meaning person. He wants to settle the issues  and has demonstrated moral courage  by offering to resign, a rare  act  in the modern-day politics in India, where politicians  are willing to stick to chair whatever be the level of cases against them.  But, he should have  taken a cue from what  happened in Kashmir, how his “ quiet dialogue and quiet diplomacy” failed to take off.  He  tried to  initiate a process without doing a ground work. Kashmir of October 2009 , when he made this offer, which was grabbed in public by some sections of the separatist camps,  is a forgotten chapter. Thereafter, chapters of betrayals have been written and  the whole talk of talks, now seems to be a smoke screen , which had nothing behind it.

No solution can be taken for granted. No individuals or groups can be taken for granted  Nor a particular situation at a particular time can be taken for a granted  and whatever be the  level of military might, the weakness of the motivated groups  fighting for a cause, can be taken for granted only  to nation’s own peril. Dantewada is a tragic example of that.

Had the work been done on Kashmir front through “quiet dialogue” or otherwise  in Kashmir, that would have established a level of credibility of the government of India  would have gone up. That would have also given a sense of confidence to Naxalities  that  Delhi means business and an atmosphere of  trust would been set up. Such a situation and credibility would have gone long way in  dealing with the issue and the  nation today would have been talking of peace and not war against Naxals, and Kashmir would have become a beacon light.

A particular period has been lost.  The clock cannot be reversed  to pre-Dantewada  massacre , or pre-October 2009 offer of talks to one and all  in Kashmir.  The clock is till ticking and an economist in Chidambaram knows how to utilize the time bet and how to do it.  Indeed, there were setbacks ,  but it’s not the time to mourn over the setbacks. It’s time to move ahead , grapple with problems and issues. It’s never too late.

The Home Minister has a huge task at hand. It serves no one’s purpose if he resigns .  No one can wish away the problems. Chidambaram has  an understanding of the issues that confront people in different parts  of the country. He has often been hailed for  taking initiatives, treading the path which many fear  to venture. His colleagues in the cabinet have not as much  perception as to what ails Kashmir and what they wanted and how their day to day issues can be settled , with  a larger issue  to be  talked through in a phased manner, both with the Kashmiri separatists, elected representatives and  Pakistan . It is a firm view that unless Pakistan is spoken to  and brought on board  to  agree, directly or indirectly,  nothing will succeed in Kashmir as far as resolution of the crisis is concerned.

Naxal problem, too, has a solution.  No problem is born without a cause and effect dictum. And, no problem  is  born without a solution. This s the  way of looking at  the things that can help  resolve crisis or complicate problems. Chidambaram may not be having a magical wand, but certainly has a will to  resolve the issues from  the heartland of Nazal problem  to the Kashmir Valley.

Lastupdate on : Mon, 12 Apr 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 12 Apr 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 13 Apr 2010 00:00:00 IST