People’s Support – Salwa Judum

Mobilising the support of the people is absolutely essential to weaken the support base of
the Naxals. The representatives of major political parties have virtually abdicated their responsibility of engaging in any kind of anti-Naxal propaganda in their constituencies. In fact, most of them have sought shelter in the safety of the urban centres or the state capital.

The circumstances in which Salwa Judum evolved in the state of Chhattisgarh must be
clarified in this context. To start with, the Naxals were welcomed by the Bastar tribals
because they were harassed by corrupt revenue, police and forest officials and were
exploited by the traders from plains areas who never gave them fair price for their
products.

The Naxals appeared as the benefactors, protecting and upholding their interests. However, in due course, as the Naxals entrenched themselves in the region, they started showing insensitivity to the feelings of tribals. They interfered with the social customs and cultural practices of the local tribals. Ghotuls were closed. Weekly bazaars were looted. Traditional celebrations at the time of marriage were discouraged. Images of Budhadev (Lord Shiva) were damaged and the tribals were asked to worship Mao only.

Village priests were driven away. All this deeply hurt the tribals. There was a strong
feeling of resentment. The Naxals did not allow the tribals to pluck tendu leaves also. This was a regular source of income for them and every family earned Rs.10,000 to 15,000 from the trade. This was denied to them. The resultant economic hardship proved to be the proverbial last straw. Enough was enough, the tribals felt.

It was against this background that the tribals rebelled against the Naxals. Large groups
of people held rallies where they expressed their vehement opposition to the aggressions
of the Naxals. This was the beginning of Salwa Judum, reflecting the resentment of the
tribals against the activities of Naxals interfering with their social customs, cultural
practices and hurting their economic interests. It was a spontaneous movement, though it is also a fact that at present the camps are being maintained and financed by the state government.

It would thus appear that the factors which gave rise to Naxalism – the extent of poverty,
uneven development, poor governance, neglect of land reforms, rising unemployment and
tribals getting a raw deal - are, unfortunately, very much present today also. Unless these
basic issues are sincerely addressed, a security-centric approach by itself would not be
enough to deal with the problem.