Welcome change of tack in chhattisgarh

Welcome change of tack in chhattisgarh

Congress chief minister Bhupesh Baghel of Chhattisgarh says the jailing of people for alleged ‘involvement’ in Naxal activities will be reviewed. This is a welcome reversal of the previous BJP-led regime’s oppressive policies, known for ‘zero tolerance’ for so-called Maoists. Actually, most are adivasis trapped in a cycle of brutality between rebels and the military. Locking them up and throwing the keys away is no way to run a democratic government. The committee will also review cases against ‘associates’, social workers and NGOs. It will be headed by a retired Supreme Court judge. Raipur will also talk with residents of Naxal areas, aid workers, activists and so on.

Dialogue-based policy, not repression, can resolve problems rooted in administrative vacuum, loot of forest and mineral resources, poverty and resultant angst. Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, two states with new Congress governments, are yet to defuse the tinderbox of cow politics. Vigilantism, targeting dalits and Muslims, who process and prepare cattle for leather, animal feed, meat and other industries, is a menace. Bhopal and Jaipur have announced new sops to support shelters for un-economic cattle; cow protectors might enjoy taxpayer sops. Meanwhile, industry and jobs reliant on cattle are in crisis, standing crop is threatened by feral bovines let loose by owners. Untended carcasses are a health hazard.

Namby-pamby does not pay. In August 2017, Pehlu Khan was one of the first victims of gau rakshaks in Alwar, Rajasthan. Three months ago, Congress, which had soft-pedalled this issue, lost the Behror assembly seat there to an independent who said Khan’s assailants had been ‘framed’ for no crime. Bhopal and Jaipur should learn from Chhattisgarh that constitutional values matter, not opportunism.