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