[Assam] CHIDAMBARAM, Naxalism by AGARWAL

[Chan Mahanta]

This came from a close NRI friend and old classmate, who has been  
doing development work among some of India's poorest. He just returned  
from India after a two months stay at some of the locales where  
Naxalism is in progress.

cm



Begin forwarded message:

>
> This piece might offer something...long but well argued...As you knw  
> this subject holds my interest, and I am contemplating penning a  
> work of fiction.
>
>
> From Evernote:
> CHIDAMBARAM- AGARWAL
> Interview on NDTV: Response from a member of civil society (fwd)
> Posted by: "Shiva Shankar" sshankar at cmi.ac.in
> Thu May 20, 2010 9:52 am (PDT)
>
>
>
>
> Arun Agarwal's letter must be shared on the internet widely. - Anil
> Sadgopal
>
> Below is Arun Agarwal's brilliant letter to Chidambaram on his taunts
> towards Civil Society. It should be widely circulated. Warmly,  
> Prashant
> Bhushan
> ------------ -------
>
> Dear Shri Chidambaram,
>
> This is in response to your repeated taunts on NDTV that the civil  
> society
> must respond to the wanton killing by the Naxals. It appears that the
> interview was tailor made for getting the consent of the Cabinet for  
> more
> firepower and airpower to combat the Maoist. The diabolic support of  
> Arun
> Jaitly, be it by describing you an injured martyr, was designed to  
> achieve
> his ambition through the support of the mining barons of the BJP ruled
> states.
>
> As a member of society I hope I am being civil in disagreeing with  
> you on
> your hard line approach against the innocent tribal. I also hope you  
> will
> not find it too shocking for being accused of being largely  
> responsible
> for the rise and growth of Naxalism, as the following happened on your
> watch as Finance minister.
>
> Is it not true that Naxalism grew exponentially in the last ten  
> years to
> become the present menace? In fact you have yourself identified the  
> time
> frame of the last ten years in your interview with NDTV.
>
> Is it not true that the rise in popularity of Naxalism is also
> coincidental with the rise in iron ore mining profits which  
> increased from
> around Rs50 per tonne to over Rs5000 per tonne in the last ten years?
>
> Is it not true that the map of Naxalism is also the map of the Indian
> Minerals. These minerals belong to the people of India but have been
> handed over to mining barons and corporate in a relationship of mutual
> benefit, more appropriately described as crony capitalism. It is for  
> this
> reason that Arun Jaitly is your staunchest supporter because the  
> fate of
> four state government ruled by BJP is dependent on the money from the
> mining mafia.
>
> Is it not true that during your watch as Finance Minister for four and
> half years, corporate raked in a profit of over two lac crores through
> legal and illegal mining, mostly in the iron ore sector? How was this
> profit shared?
>
> Is it not true that during your entire tenure as FM the royalty on  
> iron
> ore was not revised and remained at a ridiculous Rs 7 to 27/ tonne
> (depending on the type and grade of iron ore) with the average of  
> around
> Rs 15 per tonne. This royalty was neither made ad valorem nor was it
> revised from year 2000 onwards when the international price of iron  
> ore
> rose to dizzy levels.
>
> Is it not true that the minerals are owned by the people of the  
> State? Is
> a meager 0.5% royalty on iron ore profits adequate compensation to the
> owner of the resources? Would you sell your one crore property for Rs
> 50,000?
>
> Did your fulfill the oath that you took as a Minister to abide by the
> Constitution, in particular Article 39 (b) and (c) of the constitution
> which directs the government to use natural resources owned by the  
> people
> of the country are used to subserve the common good?
>
> Would the Naxal problem have been there if 25% of the mining profit  
> was
> spent on the poor and the tribal living in the mining area and whose  
> life
> was uprooted by the greedy corporate/mining mafia with active  
> connivance
> of the law enforcers and policy makers?
>
> What prevented the government from nationalizing the iron ore mine
> industry and handing it over to a PSU or NMDC whose shares of Re1/-  
> was
> lapped at a premium of Rs300(30000% premium) and using the profit for
> benefit of the people?
>
> Are you aware that even a resource rich and affluent country like
> Australia with a low population base is imposing an additional 40%
> windfall tax on the mining profits? Can a poor country like India  
> afford
> to forgo these windfall profits?
>
> Will you reveal as to how many times you have defended public interest
> through PIL and how many times you have defended corporate interest  
> during
> your professional career as a lawyer? The question is relevant  
> because of
> your empathy for the corporate sector is in apparent conflict with  
> that
> towards the toiling masses.
>
> Is it wrong for the civil society to conclude that both as Home  
> Minister
> and Finance Minister you have been protecting the corporate  
> profiteers (by
> first allowing them to loot the mineral wealth belonging to the  
> people and
> now securing these mines for them) and not protecting the interest  
> of the
> poor and tribal people who are victims of corporate greed and crony
> capitalism of the political parties? You in particular should have  
> known
> better having been a Director of Vedanta Resources!
>
> In your appearance on NDTV you talked about the two prong approach  
> and one
> of them having been weakened. It is the prong of development which has
> been weakened and is non existent. The royalty collected is not  
> sufficient
> to pay for the various types of direct damages done by the mining  
> industry
> (health, environment, water, roads, rehabilitation etc) let alone  
> the cost
> of security forces.
>
> Is it not true that the killing of innocent security forces and  
> tribal is
> the direct result of the policy of securing the mineral wealth for the
> corporate profiteers and political parties who share the loot?
>
> It was shocking to know that you were more concerned about your CV  
> falling
> short by a few months of completing five years as Finance Minister  
> when
> you met your maker (refer the NDTV interview) than about the blood  
> of the
> innocent that has been spilled on both sides as a consequence of  
> corporate
> profiteering.
>
> It is not surprising that all the State government which get  
> reelected on
> the money of the mining mafia are interested in using air cover to  
> make
> mining safe and profitable ever after. You should know better the  
> role of
> money in elections after having managed to squeak past the post  
> while the
> DMK MPs romped home with handsome margin. Mr Raja retained his  
> portfolio!
>
> What is at stake is the credibility of the State: that it is using  
> force
> to benefit the mining mafia and that it has a vested interest in the
> profiteering of the mining mafia which is prospering because of crony
> capitalism.
>
> To restore its credibility the Government should resume all the mines
> which in any case belong to the people and give a solemn pledge that a
> minimum of 25% of the mining profits will be used for the benefit of  
> the
> local people. The solution is not only just but one mandated by the
> Constitution. It is only after restoring its credibility that the  
> State
> will have the right to act. That one hopes, will not be necessary  
> because
> honest development based on the resources belonging to the people is  
> the
> best contraceptive against the Maoist ideology. (One is happy to  
> note that
> according to newspaper report the Mining Minister has made a similar
> proposal and not surprisingly facing resistence.)
>
> What happened Mr Chidambaram, you used to be a nice guy? You  
> resigned over
> the Fairgrowth affair when you were not even guilty.
>
> Life is not about arguing a brief in Court for money. It is about  
> arguing
> for what is right. You have wrongly accused us being 'clever nor being
> devious' (refer interview with NDTV), because we are not capable of  
> it. We
> cannot argue the way you do. Your arguments in Parliament over the  
> oil for
> food programme while shielding Reliance from being referred to the  
> Pathak
> Committee were indeed 'brilliant'. Were you being clever or devious in
> your arguments? (Refer the book Reliance the Real Natwar written by  
> the
> undersigned for deciding the issue.) Please do not use the civil  
> society
> as an excuse for your omissions and commissions. We have no vested
> interest except that what belongs to the people should go to the  
> people
> and that innocents, whether the security forces or the people forced  
> to
> join the Maoist, should not die for corporate profits. We are not  
> powerful
> to tie the State governments with legal cases on police excesses.  
> Those
> trying to uphold human right violations do so at considerable risk to
> their life and liberty and deserve our respect and not condemnation as
> misguided romantics.
>
> On a personal note Sir, Will you resign and argue my PIL before the  
> High
> Court involving three lac crores of iron ore being gifted by the  
> State to
> Posco and Arcelormittal (as Palkhivala did to argue the Minerva Mill
> case). It will be difficult to lose the case because law, facts and  
> most
> important you will be on the same side.
>
> If you agree to do so, Sir, I am sure He will give you far more credit
> than He would for the extra six months that you missed out as Finance
> Minister!
>
> In case you are interested I will send you a copy of the petition.
>
> Looking forward to hearing from you. For far too long you have been
> shifting the blame on the civil society. We too need answers.
>
> With warm regards
>
> A K Agrawal
>
> E13/2 Vijaykiran Apartments
>
> 32 Victoria Road
>
> Bangalore 47