The Maoists have made the headlines by expressing their disgust against actor Akshay Kumar and ace badminton player Saina Nehwal for pledging financial assistance to the families of 12 CRPF men who were killed in a Maoist ambush in Sukma in Chhattisgarh in March.
In a pamphlet released by the Red extremists, it was said the celebrities should not have stood by the families of the slain jawans but reach out to the poor and take a position against "police atrocities and human rights violations". While the actor reached out to the kin of the dead jawans with an amount of Rs 9 lakh, the Olympic medal-winning Nehwal said she would give Rs 6 lakh in total to the affected families.
The Maoists also said that the CRPF jawans did not die for the country but were punished for exploiting the local people, especially the tribals.
Unless the Maoists change their way of functioning, few wil support them
The Maoists have their own versions and would also find sympathisers but it is completely unlikely that any celebrity will ever stand by them unless they bring some visible changes in their way of functioning.
Accusing the forces as protectors of corporate and political interests is an ideological angle of the Maoists' struggle with the State power and there is almost no possibility of this ending ever. And since the State is considered sacrosanct in the prevailing Westphalian system, anybody who intends to take the other side will do so at his/her own peril.
No celebrity can be expected to defy State and join Maoists' parallel campaign
There is no question of the celebrities taking such a risky stand in the grave fight between the State and its enemy. For them, sympathising with the plight of the State's representatives is a far easier and convenient thing to do and the Maoists cannot really blame them for making such a choice. The cine stars and representatives of the State (read sportspersons) cannot be expected to act as daredevil journalists who can brave all odds to respond to their moral instincts.
Instead, the Maoists need to do things differently if they wish to get backing from quarters they think will help their cause in this publicity-mad world.
The Maoists will first need to come out of their hideouts and face the world with a proper face. Their mode of guerrilla warfare will earn them accolades from the romanticising Left-leaning intellectuals but if they really want to see a change in the actual world, the Maoists need to make use of the mainstream to which the likes of Kumars and Nehwals belong.
Slain CRPF jawans get more sympathy because they get media's backing
It is more logical for the slain CRPF jawans to get the sympathy for they are not only men in uniform assigned with the task of safeguarding the common man but also because the media plays it out on behalf of the State to penetrate into the drawing room and mind of each citizen to display how much injury it has incurred for the sake of the country's well-being. Whether the CRPF men represented an 'exploitative' state machinery is not for the easy-going commoner to understand and thus, the other side of the story remains buried all throughout.
Maoists in India should understand that this is no Cuba or Venezuela
The Maoists thus need to play a role in the mainstream which is more vibrant than ever, thanks to the revolution in the media. There is no wisdom in sitting in the mosquito-infested jungles and fight for the liberation of the poor when the Maoists' very enemy, the State, is running away with all the awards and sympathy. India is not a Cuba or Venezuela where political extremism can aspire to come to controlling things with the help of gun, violence and alienation. If they want to make a change, it has to come through democratic contests.
Dear Maoists, it is impossible for you to replace the State with some other political model. The age of dreams is over. You can instead try to fight for the cause you feel are necessary to address by making yourselves visible before everybody. Exploitations of the poor can be fought even without guns and indulging in violence and if you can present your case properly by coming in the mainstream, even Akshay Kumar can express an intention to understand your pain.
But till you make those changes, your expectations will only remain day-dreaming.
