This action has broken the back of the Salwa Judum terror; the ruling classes have been forced to re-think their Salwa Judum strategy of using civilian tribals as the front paw of their military plans. They will no doubt come with a more sophisticated military plan now.

"In Dantewada the so-called welfare camps are being run by the SPOs and goons (called SJ cadres). They oppress the people in the camps and keep a watch over their every movement. If anyone wants to return to the village they are beaten and forcibly kept there. The police/para-military do not directloy guard the camps but keep them in the vicinity of their camps so that they can act as a shield for their protection. It is these same SPOs and goons that have wrecked havoc in the Konta, Dornapal, areas. Together with the police and the para-military they created a terror in the area — killing people in the village, gang-raping women, burning houses, looting property, shooting people at random in the fields, preventing agriculture, etc. without wiping out these elements it would be impossible for the people to of this region to live in peace.

We once again repeat that the SJ is no spontaneous movement of the Adivasis but it is a repression campaign being carried out in the interests of the likes of Tata, Essar, and the TNCs of the US and japan who have vast mining interests in the region. And in order to clear the path for these businesses to rob our minerals they are prepared to kill hundreds of thousands of people. The people of Bastar will definitely destroy this conspiracy against them. Some middle class liberal intellectuals say "whether the bullets come from this side or that, it is only the poor Adivasis who are dying" and so criticise the just resistance of the people. But by doing such criticism they are indirectly acting to strengthen the hands of the government. This is a revolt — a revolt of the oppressed Adivasis of of Bastar who have seen their women raped, their children tortured and killed, their houses and crops burnt, by a fake democratic system, and who are striving for a real new democracy for the people. We appeal to all democrats to oppose this Salwa Judum and support our just resistance struggle and thereby save the Adivasis from destruction, displacement, and death. In the course of our activities we do make mistakes which you please openly criticise, we will also accept it, but because of these do not oppose the just struggle of the people." (Extracts from the Hindi original statement, translated)

Many an intellectual have come out in criticism against the action at Errabore, but this itself would not have taken place if the SJ and terror had not been unleashed by the State. If the Maoists were to have sat there ‘peacefully’ they would have continued their massacre, rapes, destruction and looting. The losses would have been far worse. Not only that the intellectuals sometimes have a myopic vision and do not see the long-term implications of such an action. For centuries these people were kept in total darkness with no development whatsoever. The Maoists after establishing their power have conducted developmental projects, built tanks, schools, brought medical facilities, fish farming, agricultural techniques and fruit and vegetables, forestation programmes and put an end their loot by politicians, police, traders, bureaucrats, et al. but now with this massive military campaign the development projects have had to be temporarily curtailed. Besides the final aim of the rulers is to totally wipe out the adivasis and clear the forest for the giant mining mafia ready to enter the region armed with MoUs.

Some so-called intellectual have gone to extremes n their condemnation of this action. A Marathi magazine brought out by the top leaders of the Namada Bachao Andolan had severely castigated the action in their Aug 2006 issue (From Andolan-Shashwat Vikasasathi ). They went to the extent of entitling the article: Not revolutionaries, Obnoxious Agents! Then they went on to say:

This is a statement by those who profess to be on the side of the poor. Such a crude lie that This group is behaving like a private sena of these industrialists, even the worst of reactionaries find it difficult to make. The NBA might have its non-violent methods (which have not achieved much) but to turn white into black in the name of non-violence is just what the reactionaries would like. The police do it well; it is surprising to find the NBA on the same plane as the police.

The point is that in the face of a gigantic Raksha the people have only two options: get swallowed up by it or resist it. The NBA have allowed the former, the Naxalites are attempting the latter. It is time these advocates of non-violence reflect on their two decades of passive struggle and see, relatively what the Naxalites have achieved — if they are honest to the people. And as for the point of Unbounded love for the people as the foundation of revolt and revolution, there is no all encompassing love. If you really love the beautiful flower you would have to kill the insect or the love for the flower would prove hollow. And if you really love the people you have to destroy the fascists and their army of hoodlums. Waxing eloquent about non-violence, where the oppressed masses face violence daily, nay hourly, and at every second of their life, shows a lack of sensitivity and knowledge of what is taking place at the ground level.