Former Chhattisgarh DCM TS Singh Deo Bats For Continuing Reforms In Areas That Have Been Under Naxal Influence

Raipur/Surguja: Amid the Centre's claim of ending Naxalism and putting Chhattisgarh on the path of development stands a pertinent question whether Naxalism could have been eradicated earlier.

On March 7, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai approached Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a blueprint on Bastar Development Mission. It needs to be pointed out that a similar blueprint was prepared in the early 1983 when Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister but it could not be implemented.

Throwing light on that document and the developments around it, senior Congress leader and former Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Tribhuvaneshwar Saran Singh Deo said that Ramchandra Singh Deo, who was responsible for preparing the document had asked him to develop a similar plan for Surguja.

At the time of Chhattisgarh’s creation, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) formed the government, under Raman Singh. TS Singh Deo said that Ramchandra met Raman Singh several times regarding the Bastar development document but no action was taken on it.

He claimed that the model submitted to Modi is based on the 1980 document since the fundamental problems that existed in Bastar in 1980 still exist in 2026.

ETB: Then PM Indira Gandhi visited Bastar in 1980 and asked for a vision document to be prepared for Bastar. Do you remember anything about the development and why hasn't it been published?

Deo: Naxalism’s beginning was from Naxalbari in Bengal. I was a student at Delhi University at that time. Protests had begun. Naxalite activity had started in Bengal. Many of our comrades went to Bengal. I was also told to go but I didn't. That was the atmosphere. You probably remember Siddharth Shankar Ray who was appointed Chief Minister and then sent there. He was previously at the Centre and with great severity crushed the movement to a large extent.

They (BJP) claim that the Congress did nothing. The propaganda is that there was extreme severity. Our comrades from Delhi University who returned from there reported having faced severe hardships, beatings, being made to sit on the stove and other such things. It was clear that there was extreme severity.

Regarding Indira Gandhi, I think she visited the Vivekananda Ramakrishna Mission Ashram in Narayanpur as a special guest. She had a deep affection for the Mission. When I was a cabinet member, I also visited there and found the system to be excellent. As Health Minister I witnessed the Mission’s support of the hospitals. I remember Indira Gandhi's presence there in 1983 when she saw the actual situation, the state of development and the rise of Naxalism and the efforts to control it.

After losing to the Janata Party after the Emergency and returning back victorious in 1980, she must have realised that if this region wasn't developed, the people would remain isolated and could easily be influenced by such (extreme) ideas.

These were straight forward people with open minds. Abujhmarh was the rural forested area and the last frontier for social expansion. She must have undoubtedly been thinking of connecting people with the mainstream and bringing development to them. But things did not turn out that way.

The officials may have formulated some plans. But Indira Gandhi understood the fact that there are many avenues for action. One is development, the mainstreaming of the nation. The second is discussion and the third is strictness, responding to force with force.

Even at that point, she recognised the potential and adverse consequences of the emerging scenario. During the period till now many governments came both at the central and state levels. What she sensed at that time is what is being done now.

Ramchandra also talked about a vision. He even told me during discussions, "Make a plan. I'm also doing this for Bastar. You make a plan for Surguja. Tell me what needs to be done.” The points of consideration included education, health, agriculture, different types of agriculture, horticulture — growing black pepper, cloves, planting cashews and how to improve the economic situation — something Indira Gandhi had thought of in 1983. He shared the plan with Raman Singh. Whether he adopted it or not is a different matter. This is my personal experience with Ramchandra.

ETB: What would have happened if what Indira Gandhi had said had been implemented or what Ramchandra wanted had been put to practice later?

Deo: The innocent people who fell under the influence of Naxalites were largely caught in between. First, they were kept away from economic progress and infrastructure facilities. Second, they were brought under the influence of Naxalite ideology and exploited.

This was during the period I mentioned when there was a crackdown in West Bengal and people moved towards Bihar. When Andhra Pradesh became strict, they moved towards Bastar. But they were peaceful at that time. They ran away to save themselves. The government adopted a wait and watch approach.

But Indira Gandhi's vision was that as long as you are watching, they are not doing anything. Until then, create conditions conducive for development for the common people. Not like the one where even today we cannot reach the villages.

ETB: Do you think the situation in these remote areas has improved now?

Deo: Things won't improve with just one quick move. You have to keep bringing about continuous reforms. What we hear now is that the Panchayats aren't getting money. The Home Minister came and said he's given them one crore rupees. What did you really get? Beyond politics, if you don't continue to work consistently, then somewhere in people's minds, they'll think, "We've been forgotten."

It's a matter of willpower. If there's political will, then there's a long-term vision, as you mentioned Indira Gandhi's vision of 1983, and the willpower to implement it. You also need a vision for what to do. If you build houses like those in the cities, you won't succeed in villages.

The village people aren't accustomed to it. However, planning should be done according to their thinking and needs, both economically and socially. Pay attention to the security of their social structure. Directly transporting them to a disco away from their cultural background will not work. The form of development itself should be useful to them.