His insistence on a 72-hour-period of peace on the part of the CPI (Maoist) and to hold talks during this period is like a joke. It only shows how Mr. Chidambaram lacks seriousness on the issue and wants to somehow complete the formality of talks, if at all they materialize, in order to satisfy the civil society. If the government is serious it should speak in terms of mutual cease-fire, for a longer period of time, and spell out the government's stand on fulfilling the minimum requisites like release of leaders and lifting the ban on the CPI(Maoist) and the mass organizations”.

Azad issued the letter on May 31 and released it to select dailies and TV channels on June 25 presumably due to signs of procrastination in the hypothetical peace-process. Maoists repose faith in Agnivesh. Appreciating the endeavour made by Agnivesh and “others who earnestly desire to bring peace, they are still optimistic about the outcome of Agnivesh's “mission of bringing peace”, but an eerie of silence seems to overturn the optimism.

Shooting back at Chidambaram's insistence on Maoists abjuring of violence, the letter states, “it is necessary on the part of the government to prove its seriousness regarding the peace process by first halting its operations against innocent unarmed people and unequivocally stating that it is ready to observe cease-fire simultaneously with the CPI(Maoist) starting with a specified date. The practical measure to really ensure peace is the declaration of mutual cease-fire for a definite period, say, 2 or 3 months, to start with.” Otherwise, this insistence looks like “an unsound and unreasonable proposal. It implies that the Maoists are indulging in violence while the Government and its security forces have been fighting for peace. The facts actually are vice versa”.

The letter reminded Agnivesh, “continuous persecution of ordinary innocent people by the security forces in all the regions where the latter are deployed as part of the Operation Green Hunt. Not a day passes without an incident of murder, rape, abduction, torture of the adivasis and destruction of their property or stealing their belongings by these so-called security forces.” Unless there is reversal of this approach of intimidation, the CPI(M) and its various wings can't believe that the “government is serious in its intent for peace when it allows its forces to indulge in heinous atrocities on innocent unarmed people, when the government itself allows the suspension of all basic democratic rights of the citizens and consigns their own Constitution to the dust-bin”

The Maoists are on one side hoping against hope and on the other hand show eagerness so that the intelligentsia which is stubbornly opposed to OGH can't blame that Maoists are obsessed with violence, So Azad hasn't shot down the suggestion for whatever reasons. He expressed CPI(Maoist)'s concern about the state of trauma that the Adivasis are unable to rid of.

The OGH or Lalgarh Laboratory (coined by the home secretary G K Pillai) is a joint offensive by “the paramilitary, police, private vigilante gangs sponsored by the government”. Azad defends counter-violence in defence against unleashing of violence on the people. He makes no bones of this to Agnivesh ,”The people are compelled to retaliate for their own survival. The Party and the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army too are compelled to undertake counter-offensive operations in their self-defence and in defence of the people”. It is the Government “that has to instill confidence among the people and the Party cadres about its seriousness by first halting its offensive operations and attacks on the people instead of asking the Maoists to unilaterally declare that they will abjure violence”, the Maoist spokesperson suggested.

Maoists want a longer than 72-hour dialogue. “Such a short period cannot prove the seriousness on either side. Even a minor incident on either side can be picked up to prove the violation by the other side. A relatively longer period is necessary if we wish to really bring peace. It is only after a period of peace and the creation of a conducive atmosphere that talks can be held.”

Protracted guerrilla offensive apart, Maoists are concerned about the plight of Adivasis whose moral support is an elixir for their 'revolutionary' pursuit. The CP(M), Azad claims, “is very serious about bringing about peace especially at the present juncture when lakhs of adivasis had fled, and are fleeing, their homes; when lakhs of adivasis are facing chronic conditions of hunger and famine due to their ouster from their lands and forcible closure of the weekly bazaars by the police and administration; when the adivasis are haunted by the threat of death any day by the most savage paramilitary, police, Special Police Officers and private vigilante gangs. One should not be swayed by victories and defeats at this critical juncture in the life of the adivasi community in our country but try to create conditions whereby their survival is ensured.”

Initiation of dialogue seems a genuine objective of Maoists while implementers of OGH feel that suspension of dialogue will frustrate the Maoists. A Marxist sociologist warns against this thinking. “Adivasis do not grave for peanuts that may frugally percolate down to them in the name of tribal development. They want the government to leave them alone. For centuries, they are caretakers of sustainable environment. Better learn from them first, assure them of stopping threats, intimidation and encroachment and then persuade them for two-way dialogue. Remember oral knowledge is recognized by the WTO as intellectual property”. (IPA)