Naxalism A Pseudo Problem

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action;
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake
-

Rabindranath Tagore

The attack in southern Chhattisgarh this past May 25 and other previous struggles between the
Naxalites and the government forced me to revive this verses which present a state of intense
sorrow. Naxalism is stated as national problem, internal threat, obstacle for development, agitator
of peace, many more words are there but it is more important to know that what are the
parameters, situations led to such growing state that it is incorrigible.
The incidents followed by each other played a vital role to setup and to strengthen the Naxalism
in India. Here are some details:1948

1964 -1967

May,1967(Naxalbari Uprising)

Around 2500 villages in the south were

organized into Communes as a part of a
movement which came to be known as
Telangana Struggle. This Indian revolution
follows the Chinese path of peoples war. This
revolutionary strategy was based on Mao
Tsetungs new democracy
Communist Party of India(Marxist)(CPI-M)
splits from united Communist Party of
India(CPI) and decides to participate in
election postponing armed struggle
Communist leader Charu Majumdar fomed the
basis of naxalite movement based on MarxLenin-Mao thoughts CPI-M forms a coalition
government in West Bengal that created
division in the party as Charu Majumdar
accused for betraying the revolution
Charu Majumdar with help of Kanu Sanyal,
Jangal Santhal and rebel cadres initiated a
violent uprising in the small village
Naxalbari in West Bengal against landlords

men over a land dispute. The CPI-M led United

Front Government cracked down on the
uprising ,but this Naxalism ideology soon
spread over many states and Comrades from
TamilNadu,Kerala,Uttar
Pradesh,Bihar,Kerala,Orrisa,Andhra
Pradesh,West Bengal met and set up All India
Coordination Committee of
Revolutionaries(AICCR) in the CPI(M)
1968-2000

AICCR renamed All India Coordination

Committee of Communist Revolutionaries
(AICCCR). After its dissolution it became CPI
(ML). There were many armed clash between
CPI(M) and CPI(ML).Many parties formed
based on maoist thinking and they have tried to
succeed politically

Until the 1990s the Naxalites were a marginal presence in Indian politics. But in that decade they
began working more closely with the tribal communities of the Indian heartland. About 80
million Indians are officially recognized as tribal; of these, some 15 million live in the
northeast. It is among the 65 million tribals of the heartland that the Maoists have found a most
receptive audience. There are following reasons which has stirred up the flame of Naxalism

Economically the tribals are the most deeply disadvantaged segment of Indian society. As
few as 23 percent of them are literate; as many as 50 percent live under the poverty line.
The state fails to provide them with adequate education, healthcare or sanitation; more
actively, it works to dispossess them of their land and resources
The naxals enjoy immense support among the lower strata of the society in which they
known as the Red corridor, a collection of states with active Naxalism. The tribals
consider the Maoists as their friends for them these rebels who have stood by them when
police beat them, the political parties are with the Salwa Judum(An antiNaxalite
movement in Chhattisgarh),the courts do not give them a hearing, the media does not care
about them.
The original struggle was against feudal landlords and landownership, but the new
struggle is against state domination, modernization and development which parallels the
rise of India as a strong economy propelled by capitalism and liberal economic gains
Politically the tribals are very poorly represented in the democratic process. In fact,
compared with Indias other subaltern groups, such as the Dalits and the Muslims, they
are well nigh invisible. Dalits have their own, sometimes very successful, political
parties; the Muslims have always constituted a crucial vote bank for the dominant
Congress Party.
The main cause of Naxalism is the glaring inequality in rural India based on unequal
distribution of land. Equitable distribution of surplus vested land for cultivation purpose

is the main demand of the Naxalites. This is also the centre point of the land reform
measures.
Charu Majumdar, the pioneer of the Naxalite movement had said: Chinas Chairman is
our Chairman and Chinas path is our path. While India is sensitized about the ongoing
proxy war by Pakistan, there is very little or no consciousness that Maoism or Naxalism
is actually a proxy war by China being waged against India for last five decades.

Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India, called Maoist insurrection, the single biggest
internal-security challenge. The solution needs to be multi-dimensional and calls for a synergy
between the central governments and the states. The socio-economic alienation and the
dissatisfaction with the widening economic and political inequality will not be solved by military
force alone, which seems to be the main instrument employed by the government. In spite of
many reasons that have continued to grow Naxalism but following considerable steps will help to
demolish the some of root causes of it.
Socio-economic development:As the Naxalites are fuelled by discontent from the marginalized and the poor, a larger
percentage of the national budget must be allocated to addressing the needs of these regions.
More of the national expenditure needs to be focused on developing these poorer regions through
initiatives regarding health, education, social welfare and rural and urban development.
Government service delivery should be improved in these tribal areas. Both state and
government must ensure that things such as statutory minimum wages, access to land and water
sources initiatives are implemented. If the social needs of these marginalized people are
addressed, there will be no discontent to fuel the Naxalites movements.
Discussion:The government should initiate sincere dialogue with these marginalized groups, the Naxalites
and state leaders. By communicating and starting a dialogue between these stakeholders, these
groups will feel that they being listened to. By opening dialogue, the government can give
opportunity for the rebels to join the mainstream by showing them that solutions can be created
together with the government, by being part of the political system in a legitimate way. They no
longer need to resort to violence to get the states attention.
Military:Currently, the main instrument employed by the government to address the Naxalite threat is the
increasing use of the military. While some military force is still needed to combat against the
Maoist guerrillas, it should not be the only solution. By only addressing the issue by brute force,
government risks alienating civilians who are caught in the middle.

So by looking into all aspects of Naxalism, I consider it is a Pseudo problem and can be tackled
thru efficient steps to maintain peace.
You cannot find peace by avoiding life - Virginia Woolf
Info:Prithvirajsinh Zala
References: http://www.hindustantimes.com
http://www.thehindu.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naxalite