Maoist Menace

After the gruesome killing of 76 police personnel in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh, the government’s contemplation to use the air force to crush the Maoists is bound to boomerang, as innocent lives too would be lost in such operations. One should not be oblivious to the fact that the policies of globalisation have pushed the tribals and forest dwellers to the deadly embrace of Maoists. The onslaught of displacement and unemployment caused in the name of Special Economic Zones, dams and projects has made them to believe that the Maoists are their real saviours. The Maoist movement could be weakened, only through a long-term strategy of creating employment opportunities and ensuring forest rights to the tribal people.