Reacting to a news item in a daily revealing that the Maoists have claimed their role behind the success of the Palli Sabhas in Niyamgiri, lak Shakti Abhijan president and a petitioner in the Supreme Court on Niyamgiri Prafulla Samantara said the news was shocking for those who knew the reality and who had been actively working with the Dongarias for the last eight years.
Samantara said, “We will fail in our duty towards the innocent, peace loving Dongarias if we fail to respond when such confusion has been created. We have respect for the Maoists because they are fighting for a just cause. We would have been really happy if they had worked over the ground without using violent means. But that is their strategy. However, we are shocked and surprised to hear the report as it is nowhere near the truth.”
He continued, “We are not very sure if the statement has actually been given by them or it has been manufactured by the intelligence agencies of the Union and the State Government who are running a parallel media/disinformation campaign ever since the Maoist problem cropped up.
The call for boycotting Gram Sabhas was the call given by the Maoists as reported in certain newspapers. Dongarias in large number turned up and ignored the call and voted against Vedanta in the Gram Sabhas.
There has been no violent incident in any Gram Sabha and the security forces were active throughout the Gram Sabha period starting from Serekapadi to the last one in Jarapa. Nowhere was the pressure of Maoists felt by any one. The Samajvadi Jan Parisad and CPI-New Democracy activists who believe in democratic movements were the only force seen to be active. All these people have been there for the last eight years.”
The false statements in media would only help the State and its security forces to unleash a reign of terror and ultimately kill the peace and beauty of the Niyamgiri mountain.
The way Dongarias have redefined democracy will be rendered meaningless if we circulate and buy such confusions, he said, urging all stakeholders to desist from such anti-democratic moves.