Q: Let's talk about Naxalism. Naxals are killing innocent people from Bihar and Jharkhand to Orissa and recently they wiped out the top leadership of Congress in Chhattisgarh. Do you think time has come for India to take real tough measures against Naxals?
Brinda Karat: Isn't India taking tough measures? And India is taking tough measures and putting so many innocent tribals in jail. Therefore my point is this. Many ruling parties in different states have had alliances with these Maoists. They have supported Maoists for narrow gains. What happened In Bengal? Mamata Banerjee who had one point mission against CPI(M) had direct and indirect alliances with the Maoists. She invited the Maoists into West Bengal. What was Nandigram? Most definitely, there was clear evidence of the alliance between Trinamool leaders and Maoists.
Q: But today Mamata claims Naxalism has been contained in West Bengal.
Brinda Karat: Well, The fact of the matter is that Trinamool and Maoists are in cahoots and are in alliance with each other. In last panchayat elections, many of the so called Maoists have joined TMC. So that shows what the Maoist politics is. You also see another face of Maoist politics which is extortion, which is taking money. And many parties in India whether its national party or a regional party, they have dealt with Maoists, they have given money to Maoists and got the Maoist support in elections. In Chhattisgarh, it's an open secret. In Jharkhand, it was an open secret. In West Bengal, it was an open secret in last elections. Therefore first stop the hypocrisy. Stop using Maoists and stop helping their extortionist practices by using them for your political gains.
Number two, you have to deal with it politically. None of these parties, except for CPI(M), have fought them politically and ideologically. We have been fighting them politically and ideologically andthat's why in West Bengal where Naxalism took birth, for 34 years, there was no sign of it because we isolated them politically and ideologically.
Thirdly, the areas where Maoists are operating, the way you are suppressing and repressing the Adivasi people in India today, taking away their land, leaving them completely vulnerable to the predatory policies of the corporate capital, who is going to be over there? And Naxalites are not there because they love tribals. Naxalites are there because of the cover of the forest. So you have to have a multi-dimensional approach to the problem. And by threatening to use the army and the military, you can't solve the problem.
