Telangana Director General of Police M. Mahender Reddy’s statement on Sunday that the differences between Adivasis and Lambada tribe in the State helped Maoists gain leverage, came in for sharp criticism from the aboriginal people of Adilabad and Kumram Bheem Asifabad districts, as well as on social media, on Monday.
Both the segments opined that the government was trying to mislead people and suppress the movement of the aboriginal tribes by proffering the theory.
The Lambada leaders however, opined that, the possibility of Maoists supporting the movement was greater. One of the senior leaders quoted the events of the past few days to buttress his point of view.
Among the ethnic people who raised objection to the police theory were Athram Roshan, an engineer by education, Mangam Vishwam Rao who holds a doctorate in Anthropology and Sidam Madhukar, a doctorate degree holder. They said the government was trying to distract the attention of people at large by coming up with such theory.
“It is a grass roots level movement born as a consequence of years of exploitation,” they told The Hindu . “There is no chance of naxalites entering the scene under the present circumstances,” they said.
Columnist and political economist Mohan Guruswamy, former advisor to Union Finance Ministry was also severely critical of the government’s stand. “By doing this the government will turn this (movement) into a law and order issue and try to quell it with force,” he opined in a Facebook post.
Mr. Guruswamy has been watching the events unfolding in these parts since the last couple of months, with keen interest. He has written insightful articles on Adivasis of Gondwana.
Meanwhile, the national working president of All India Banjara Seva Sangh, Amar Singh Tilawat, almost concurred with the DGP. “The violent incidents make it seem as the Maoists are trying to recruit cadres by instigating the aboriginal people,” he observed.
