A Glimmer of Hope Regarding The Naxal Issue?

Apparently, the Congress chief has this to say about the Naxalite problem:

“Our country is facing an enormous challenge from the Naxalites. While we must address acts of terror decisively and forcefully, we have to address the root causes of Naxalism. The rise of Naxalism is a reflection of the need for our development initiatives to reach the grassroots, especially in our most backward tribal districts.”

She should be more careful when expressing such things which can be interpreted as offering support to the Naxalites : Supporting Maoists will invite 10 year jail. Of course this threat of jail-terms seems to be totally unconstitutional - our Constitution apparently even protects people that talk against the very idea of India itself.

Aside from that, the article notes that the PM gets the problem and also that Industry gets it:

The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, has however been a bit more specific in his appeal to industrialists that they should “partner” the Government in the latter's efforts to develop the interior regions of the country. Among other things, he is reported to have said that industry needed “to plough back cash into the areas from where it is hoping to make money”.

The CII president, Mr Hari Bhartia, reportedly said that Dr Singh wanted industry to invest in building trust in the Naxalite-hit districts, and that improvement of the “condition of the people in these areas has to be a priority for the state and industry”.

Importantly, the CII chief said that industry was “not immediately looking at doing business there... we want to go in and build trust”. This is a noble intention stated unequivocally, and Mr Bhartia should be complimented for the exercise.

Positive news definitely.