Dantewada and free markets

There is nothing more to be written and said about the Dantewada massacre. Points of view from both sides of the aisle have been explored and debated from fundamentalist morons like Arundathi Roy to intelligent policy/strategy options from INI bloggers , Vikram sood and others. It's really good that public imagination even though momentarily has been focused on this grave problem and it may just help to gather the lacking political will.

But there is one aspect of this problem that I believe goes to the root of the issue. The maoisits and its intellectual torch bearers will tell you that Big Corporations, Police and State in collusion are taking away land and exploiting the poor tribals. I have no doubt in my mind that it is true. But the solution is not armed struggle, killing and stopping any kind of economic development. There is a notion that tribals want to continue their way of life and do not need any development, as Ms Roy so eloquently describes a police officer saying " Ma'am Tribals are not greedy". I think that is just bulllshit. Most of the tribals want to get out of poverty and an archiac way of living, to get better education, housing, wealth and prosperity. It is people like Ms Roy who sit in urban centers who romanticize tribal life as if subsistence living is some elevated status of being. Even if some tribals want to continue their way of life, I would consider them selfish and hypocritical
because if India wants to become a superpower and pull people out of poverty we need to mine
in those areas, increase exports and create jobs.

The problem is not that tribals do not want to develop or development is ruining a way of life, the problem is state intervention and lack of property rights. State intervention in distributing tribal land for Industrial use creates corruption, political meddling and land sharks resulting in this endless cycle of violence. The solution lies in that libertarian idea of property rights, where tribals get to negotiate a fair price and a fair deal for their land directly with corporate houses. Corporate houses are not fools, they know that in the long run it is in their interest to help in development of Tribals and be mindful of environment. The role of the government is to create regulation and act as a facilitator to make sure there is no unfair advantage to either side.

We can bomb all we want or romanticize a way of life, unless there is property rights, this problem will surface in one way or other. We should stop being a welfare state where the poor are always with the begging bowl, but create an enabling environment so that they can pull themselves out of poverty.