Salwa Judum – The Heroic Uprising

Of the few things that Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru got correct is his assessment of the Indian communists. He had once said, “The Indian Communists are certainly not patriots. They are not interested in the well-being of Indian people, whatever other cause they may be seeking to serve. They speak about the country in a derogatory manner abroad. They preach violence which can only lead to a disastrous civil war.”

The leftist opposition to Salwa Judum and support to naxalite terrorists once again proves the point that Nehru had put forward decades ago. Baffled by the autochthonic uprising against the naxalite terror sponsored from abroad, the comrades are screaming shrill to stop the Judum on the grounds that it has led to a huge loss of lives and is only dividing the tribal society, pitting one tribal against the other. The naxalite violence has risen squarely since the inception of this counter movement and the human loss is quite high as the tribals are fighting the much sophisticatedly armed naxalites with their traditional simple bows and arrows.

Going by the leftist logic, it is implied that there should not have been any struggle for freedom in the pre-independence era as fighting the much more powerful and well-armed British would have led to huge loss of lives. Their perverted thinking provides no scope for respect of freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives for the sake of the nation. It is not surprising that they denounced Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and branded great revolutionaries like Savarkar as terrorists. The martyrs of the Judum are heroes who sacrificed their lives protecting their people. They should be held at par with those whom we pay homage on the Martyrs’ Day, but it would probably be preposterous to expect the communists to have the ability to differentiate between martyrdom and terrorism. In their opinion the only martyrs are the naxalite terrorists.

Through the past many decades the communists have nurtured and patronized the naxalites who cold-bloodedly kill innocent civilians and brave security personnel with their advanced weaponry procured from abroad out of foreign funds and the civilians’ hard-earned money extorted through coercion. The naxalites are lauded with praise, projected as poor, deprived people, forced to take up arms to protect their basic rights, the offspring of an oppressive feudal system, brave revolutionaries fighting to topple the traditional capitalist structure, to establish a utopian society securing an equal place for all. However, they have no words of sympathy for the victims of naxalite terrorism, who are also poor and deprived, oppressed by the same feudal system, who work hard to earn honest money only to fall prey to the naxal bullies. 

The self proclaimed “human rights activists” have denounced the Salwa Judum as an assault on the dignity of the tribal population but remain silent on the atrocities committed by the naxalites on the tribals. The leftists have a chosen set of lofty words to prove the superiority of their ideology. They commonly use terms like “human rights”, “people’s war”, “democracy” to fool others into believing that they are well-intentioned and fighting for the larger good. However, practically democracy and communism never go together. A look at world history would reveal the close affinity between communism and dictatorships. The fact remains that nowhere in the world have the communist regimes been able to provide a strong democratic setup. Now faced with a genuine ‘people’s war’, a practical implementation of ‘human rights’, the true meaning of democracy is making them weak-kneed. The true strength of this popular movement can be adjudged from the gross quantum of opposition it has generated from the leftist quarters, the left-leaning media, intellectuals, human rights groups, social activists alike.

It is difficult for the comrades to concede that the Judum is a movement of the common man. They are seasoned to perceive and portray only that which is led by red flag and banners, even though it might be orchestrated through coercion and violence, as people’s movement. They are thunderstruck by the unexpected, powerful opposition put up by the common people who have united voluntarily, irrespective of their political views and without any external orchestration, funding or support, to fight for their survival. 

A close study of the history of tribal societies all over India would show that the tribals never submitted to any foreign power. They fiercely battled against the European colonialism and carefully safeguarded tribal autonomy and culture. Now these brave men and women have once again risen up to the occasion to safeguard their pride from a foreign ideology being forcefully imposed upon them through violence and unjustified exploitation of their impoverished and disadvantaged living conditions.

The ill-intentioned spineless people who unfortunately have mostly been holding positions of power in the modern times in India have always expected Indians to meekly submit to violence and terrorism without any reaction, response or retaliation. Driven to the extremes of endurance, the valiant tribals of Chhattisgarh have thrown off this imposed cowardly attitude and come out with their true natural valour. They have shaken the nation out of its slumber and set an example for the others to follow, to gather courage and fight terrorism.

Salwa Judum is an indigenous movement, a challenge thrown to those who have become puppets in the hands of international powers for vested personal interests. It will go down in the history of mankind as a unique example of the latent potential that every society carries but does not have the courage to explore and apply. It will shine like a guiding star for the coming generations, a lesson as to what an awakened people can accomplish only if they realize and utilize the power they hold.