ABSTRACT
At the core of the Maoist crisis lie some of the thorniest questions that confront Indian democracy. In all the competitive and belligerent rhetoric that followed, the real topography of the argument was lost. Physical violence is the simplest part of the argument. Of course physical violence is heinous. On the one hand, there is the deep, embedded ‘structural violence’ of the Indian State. On the other hand, though the Maoists seem to champion the cause of the people and are indeed creating a crucial awareness amongst the poor about their rights, they are not interested in reform or resolution. There are only two ways to go about the: One, the people can say the army will not be deployed: the matter ends there. The other is to say, the army will be deployed if necessary, but the people will give them adequate protection, not excessive protection.
