Dantewada, is a national tragedy and it is not about defending or promoting Arundhati Roy

The Editor
Outlookindia

Dear Mr. Mehta,

I watched the discussion last night on Times Now on the disaster at Dantewada and was surprised at your statements. This is a national tragedy and it is not about defending or promoting Arundhati Roy(Most people don’t any longer take her seriously. She should have stuck to fiction writing). Tarun Vijay was quite right in saying that he has travelled and lived in the tribal belt. The Maoist terrorising of the villagers/tribals is one of the main reasons for their ‘support’ of the Maoists.

As a responsible journalist who is clearly not anti national it is, in my opinion, incumbent on you to look at this recent attack on the Indian state more closely. No one is denying that the tribals have been neglected by the Indian state, but Mr. Subramaniam is right in calling on the Maoists to first lay down their arms, since there cannot be any development when the infrastructure is being deliberately blown up by these same anti national forces.

Please be under no illusion : the Maoist goal IS the capture of state power. Everything else is stage props for them.

May I suggest some topics that your reporters might want to investigate and write about ? :

1. The link between Maoists and certain evangelical groups. These are following the Phillippines model, where the Episcopalian Church has links with the Maoist groups.

2. The similar links between Christian work with the tribals as obtains in the North East of India and which have prompted several separatist move ments right from the time of the Rev Scott in Nagaland.

3. The failure of the PM to appear before the Nation and make a short speech, as would have happened in any other democracy.

4. The seeming disagreement between the Home Ministry and the Defence Minister about supplying aircraft, helicopter gunships and unmanned planes etc. and as well the bizarre statements by Air Chiefs who are talking out of turn.

Arundhati Roy is doing well enough with her playing to the gallery(incidentally she is not the first to speak about tribal problems, as you claimed at the Times Now discussion!) and her international travels.

But India needs you. Please think seriously about that.

Sincerely,

Dr. Vijaya Rajiva

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