New Delhi, Nov 12 (IANS) Indian Overseas Congress chief Sam Pitroda has said that the nature of Naxalism has changed over the past four decades, while asserting that violence cannot be justified as a means of addressing social and economic inequalities.
In an exclusive interview with IANS, Pitroda was asked about the BJP’s claims regarding the end of Maoism and its celebrations over the decline of the movement. Responding to the question, he said the Naxalism he had known around 40 years ago was different from what exists today.
“Naxalism that I knew 40 years ago is different from the Naxalism today. As a student growing up, I knew a little bit about Naxalism, and they were basically extremists who believed that they had not been given a fair share. The rich and powerful have come together and left them behind, which is still the case in many parts of the world. That hasn’t changed. The degree has changed. In fact, now there are more rich and powerful than ever before in history,” Pitroda said.
He described Naxalism as an ideology rooted in the belief that certain sections of society have been deprived of their rightful share, while pointing out that the gap between the rich and the marginalised continues to exist in several parts of the world.
“It’s an ideology. But when you resort to violence, that’s not good. I don’t buy into that. Ideology is okay. We can sit across the table, and decide, have a conversation, agree and disagree and move on. But whenever you resort to violence, it makes no sense to me. Whether it is in Gaza or Ukraine or Naxals or anywhere else,” Pitroda said.
Emphasising that violence does not resolve conflicts but instead aggravates them, Pitroda referred to several wars fought during his lifetime, arguing that such conflicts have resulted in deaths, destruction of property and enormous expenditure on weapons, without delivering meaningful solutions.
“It’s a matter of philosophy. Violence does not solve the problem; it basically adds to the problem,” he said.
Referring to the wars he has seen since 1942, Pitroda said, “At the end of all these wars, nothing much happens, people get killed, and assets get destroyed. We have seen that billions and billions are spent on weapons, and innocent people suffer. Naxals took to violence that changed the whole movement. Again, I am not an expert on Naxalites,” Pitroda added.
–IANS
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