ABSTRACT
Negotiating or mediating between two different ideological poles for the benefit of democratic principles and to protect civil liberty is not an always easy task. As a negotiator between Maoists and the state during the kidnap of the Malkangiri district collector, Vineel Krishna, in Odisha state, the author had witnessed the episode as one of the impacts for exploitation of natural resources by the top multinational companies in tribal areas. The Maoists put a certain charter of demands for the government in order to release the district collector. Out of a total of eight demands, cancellation of the mining leases and withdrawing MOUs with various MNCs in tribal areas and giving land pattas to the tribals and restoring back the land from the non-tribals are important demands to understand the background. During the process of negotiations between the Maoists and the state, the author also clearly analysed the pitfalls of media for not building proper public opinion to address the deep crisis compromising its self-respect and dignity which has serious implications to the working of the liberal framework of Indian democracy in India. The present chapter analyses that the kidnapping was able to open up a debate on the Maoists’ concerns and their approach to the development model in tribal areas. This chapter points out that the model of development that the present state has been following has undoubtedly pushed the tribals into a vicious circle. This vicious circle is another form of exclusion in the name of modern development by the state by involving multinational companies in sacrificing the life of tribal people by expropriating their rich natural resources.
