New Delhi - In a clear message to India's Maoist rebels, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Wednesday that sustained development in areas inhabited by tribal people could not take place in an atmosphere of violence. Speaking at a conference on tribal development and welfare programmes, Singh admitted that there had been a systemic failure in giving indigenous tribal people a stake in the economic development taking place on their lands.
"The systematic exploitation and social and economic abuse of our tribal communities can no longer be tolerated, but the fact is that no sustained activity can take place in the shadow of the gun," Singh said.
Maoist rebels claimed they are leading an armed rebellion to secure the rights of the poor and marginalized. They operate in some of India's poorest districts, especially forested land populated by tribal people that have seen little development.
Most of the tribal-inhabited areas are rich in timber as well as mineral resources. Rights activists have accused the government of promoting mining and other activities without consulting the tribal people.
Singh said the tribal people had been alienated by the acquisition of their lands.
"The tribals must benefit from the projects for which they have been displaced," he said, adding that resettlement and rehabilitation had to go beyond monetary compensation.
"We have to address issues relating to creating sustainable livelihoods, preserving the traditional sense of community and helping tribals cope with the trauma of dislocation and alienation," the prime minister said.
Without naming the Maoists, Singh said those who claimed to speak for the tribal communities did not offer a viable alternative economic or social path.
"The cult of violence will only bring greater misery to the common people," he said. "The state should endeavour to give a healing touch to the tribal communities."
Singh's comments came as local police assisted by federal security forces prepared for a major offensive against the rebels.
Four states - Jharkhand, West Bengal, Orissa and Chhattisgarh - were put on high alert as Maoists called for a two-day shutdown to protest the government's planned Operation Greenhunt, an anti-Maoist offensive, the PTI news agency reported.
The rebels, who have called for an immediate withdrawal of paramilitary forces, blocked roads in Orissa's Koraput and Malkangiri districts with felled trees, police said.
They also blew up a private company's guesthouse at Chitrakonda in the Malkangiri district, police said.
At least 2,671 people - including civilians, security personnel and rebels - have been killed in incidents related to Maoist violence in India since 2006, according to Home Ministry data.
Singh has described the Maoist militancy as one of the gravest internal security threats to the country.
