The Danger Within

The recent antics of so-called Naxalites in Calcutta have attracted a measure of attention which must have been highly satisfying to their perpetrators. While newspapers have prominently reported every revolutionary peccadillo along with photographs of upturned furniture and slogan-daubed walls, Parliament in New Delhi has been deeply disturbed. One day the Home Minister was exhorting all parties in Lok Sabha to fight the Naxalites politically; the next day the Prime Minister was assuring MPs belonging to her party that Government was considering bringing forward legislation to curb the menace.