Naxal Problem In India

Naxalism In India
……….An Introductory Approach

What Is Naxalism ?
 For understanding the actual
meaning of Naxalism, we need to
understand the meanings of few
other terms such as Maoism,
Communism, Marxism etc.
2

Marxism
 Method of societal analysis given by two German philosophers, Karl Marx and
Friedrich Engels.
 Key Features :
1. Marxism is Revolutionary
2. Opposes all forms of “reformism” and “gradualism” or
“evolutionary socialism”.
3. “The real enemy is at home!”
 The fundamental principle of Marx and Engels' thought is thus that economic
conditions determine all social arrangements, human relationships, thought, and
values. In Marxist terminology, the economic substructure determines the cultural
superstructure. Consider two propositions:
1. The so-called "free market“
2. The so-called "law“ of supply and demand
3

Marxists say these notions, masquerading as "science," are simply myths that serve the
interests of capitalism. Obviously (to Marxists) the capitalists control both the market (i.e., no
way is it free), and also both supply and demand (i.e., there is no neutral "law“ of supply and
demand). Capitalists clearly control supply; but they also control demand by their control of
media, which they use to manipulate peoples’ perceptions of their "needs."
That is, capitalists make people think they need things that they really don't need. Then,
having created "demand," capitalists can raise prices (leaving workers' wages the same), and
make more and more profits. Thus, says Marx, the condition of the worker inevitably gets
worse and worse. The more he produces, the less he can buy.
Marx says this situation is inherently unstable, because workers will get more and more
miserable, and the economic and social gap between workers and capitalists will grow wider
and wider. The workers will eventually revolt and seize ownership of the means of production.
This is why Marx says capitalism contains the seeds of its own destruction.
4

Maoism
 It is a political theory derived from the teachings of the Chinese
political leader Mao Zedong.
 Key Features :
1. Political Ideology, representing Mao's theories and
methodologies about how China and the world
should be transformed in revolutionary ways
2. Unique notion of permanency in time and
un-limitedness in space.
3. Greater emphasis on destruction than on construction.
5

About Naxalism………..
 The term ‘Naxal’ derives its name from a village called
Naxalbari in the State of West Bengal where the movement
had its origin. Initially their ideology comprises of Marx and
Lenin. Later on they also influenced by communist theory of
Mao Zedong.
 Origin-split in the Communist Party Of India (CPI)
 Naxalism is an informal name given to the activities of the
revolutionary group that was born out of the Sino-Soviet Split
in the Indian Communist Movement.
6

About Naxalism…..
 Origin was West Bengal
 Currently active in Chhattisgarh, Orissa & Andhra Pradesh
 History of Naxalism :
1. Charu Majumdar and Kaanu Sanyal were the first to
pick weapons against the govt. in 1967.
2. In 1971, the Naxalite Movement became so popular in
Bengal that students quit the colleges and joined the
movement.
7

Kanu Sanyal
One of the founding leaders of
Communist Party of India (Marxist-
Leninist) (CPI(ML)) formed in 1969.
Born in 1932
 Slogans :
1. ‘Hamar baari tomar bari, Naxalbari,
Naxalbari‘
2. 'Amar nunu tomar nunu, Kanu nunu Kanu
nunu‘
 Biography: The First Naxal
8

Charu Majumdar
 One of the founders of Naxal movement
along with Kanu Sanyal
 Born in 1918 (Siliguri, Bengal)
 He, as General Secretary of Communist
Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (CPI(ML))
inspired the people from downtrodden
class to take their rights forcibly instead
of “begging” for them.
 He targeted the young students from
colleges and fuelled them against the
govt.
9

Differences in Maoism & Naxalism
Maoism
 Wants to take control of government
and run their own government to
enforce their ideology on whole
country
 Aim was to fundamentally transform
country towards socialism
 Political guiding ideology
 ‘Power flows from the barrel of gun’
naxalism
 It was a workers(rural area) revolt against
their masters and landlords against
marginalization of the poor or rural areas
 Showed anger of worker class people
 Military guiding Ideology
 Power flow the hands of people
10

Who are NAXALITES ??
 Fight for poor and downtrodden
 Demand communism i.e. everyone should be socially and financially equal
 Believe in decentralization of power
 Use terror as a political weapon
 Mostly use forest cover
 Use religion as cover for their activities
11

Major Naxal attacks between
2005 - 2010
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Naxals : Gunning the Civilians
22

Red Corridor : The naxal area
23

Introduction
 The Red Corridor is a region in the east of India that experiences
considerable Naxal activity.
 The naxalites group mainly consist of the armed cadres of
Communist Party of India (Maoist).
 Parts of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya
Pradesh, Odisha, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal
 According to the Government of India, as of July 2011, 83 districts
across 10 states are affected by Naxalism, down from 180 districts
in 2009.
24

Economic situation
 The districts that comprise the Red Corridor are among the poorest in the
country. Areas such as Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana (formerly
part of Andhra Pradesh), are either impoverished or have significant
economic inequality, or both.
 Non-diversified economies that are solely primary sector based.
 Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy. Mining and forestry are
supplementary.
 The region has significant natural resources, including mineral, forestry and
potential hydroelectric generation capacity.
25

Social Situation
 Stratified societies, with caste and feudal divisions
 Most of the area has adivasi population (tribal) including Santhal & Gond.
 Bihar and Jharkhand have both caste and tribal divisions and violence
associated with friction between these social groups.
 Telangana too has deep caste divisions.
 Both Chhattisgarh and Orissa have significant impoverished tribal
populations
26

Social causes
1. Poverty
2. Socialisation
3. Unemployment
4. Illiteracy
5. Social Motives
6. Rumors
29

Psychological Causes
1. Culture
2. Leadership
3. Impression Management
4. Person’s perception
30

Administrative causes
1. Government repression
2. Industrialization
3. Lack of land reforms
31

Impact on economic development
 Reduction in per capita GDP growth
 Higher inflation rates
 Lower tax revenues
 Lower domestic investment
 High expenditure on defense -> lower expenditure on education and health
 Lower exports
 Reduced bilateral trade >> Reduced FDI
 Micro-economic effects :
a) lower tourist inflows
b) reduced long term investments in agriculture
c) reduced enrollment in schools
d) lower job availability
e) reduced usage of public transport
33

Positive Impacts
 Conservation of forests
 Protection to adivasis (tribals)
 Ensuring decent wages to laborers
 Ensuring proper attendance of govt. officials
 Abolition of corruption
 ‘Land to the tillers’
 Abolition of begar system
 No reports of atrocities against women
34

NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF THE NAXAL
MOVEMENT
 Against Elections
 Exercise terror among the people
 Disruption of govt. infrastructure like roads, school buildings
 Salwa Judum >>> Displacement of 50,000 people
 Caught in the cross firing between the security forces and the Naxals >>>> loss of
life and property
 No longer a people-centric approach >>> It has more or less become a terrorist
group with only one principle which is to seize power.
 Demolished fundamental rights
35

Media As a Weapon
 Print media
 Movies and Documentaries
 Social Media
 Fake News
36

Approach of Govt. towards solving the
problem
37

Cost Of Govt. Negligence in past
 What’s probably worrying the government is that the Naxals
are targeting the poor to get their recruits and there is no
dearth of the poor in India. Naxals are successful in the poorest
districts of India.
 For example, the rural tribal villagers in Chhattisgarh (where
Naxalism thrives) live on less than 35 cents a day, one of the
lowest in the country.
38

Cost Of Govt. Negligence in past
 Orissa seems to be in a bad shape. Here over 72 percent of all
adivasis (indigenous minority of the population of India, the
term often used synonymously with tribals) live well below the
poverty line and the Naxals are becoming more powerful by
the day.
 The Naxals are making hay in the north-east too. Tea-estates
in Assam have become breeding grounds for the Naxals.
39

What is Govt. doing presently ?
 The Indian government seems to be waking up to the issue of
Naxalism and has started thinking critically over this issue with the
help of state governments.
 Here are some of the initiatives taken by the individual states:
 States of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal will
share information and coordinate with one another in adjoining
border areas (to stop the Naxals from escaping across the borders
after launching attacks).
40

 The Jharkhand government is setting up a state industrial
security force on the lines of the Central Industrial Security
Force (CISF) to protect industries as the Naxalites (who
operate in 18 of the 24 districts in the state) often destroy
equipment of business establishments if they are not given
extortion money.
 The Orissa State government will be getting 10000 extra
personnel for fighting the Naxals – long term deployment of
two battalions of CRPF in Orissa and an additional five India
Reserve Battalions.
41

 In Tamil Nadu, a 10-day guerilla warfare training programme has
begun for 320 cops in the seven districts falling under the Central
Zone. The commandos of the elite STF will provide specialized
training such as
(1)Sophisticated arms training
(2) Combing operations in reserve forests
(3) Setting up of temporary tents and bunkers to the 320 cops.
 The Kerala govt. is now surveying laborers from other states as
the Maoists are using the state as a hide-out.
 The Maharashtra government and the state police is setting up
with a special force.
42

Steps taken by central govt.
 The central government will be investing Rs. 500-crore to fight the
Naxals. This money will be used to provide
(1) Critical mobility to the police
(2) Secure camping grounds and helipads at strategic locations
(3) Build basic roads for the forces so they have mobility in otherwise
inaccessible areas.
 India’s Interior Ministry has set up an anti-rebel cell to ensure
periodic review and close monitoring of rebel activities.
43

Factors Responsible for the Growth of
Naxalism
44

Political Reasons
 Emergence of the movement coincided with the formation of the
first United Front Government in West Bengal (1967) with CPI (M)
as its main constituent. The movement thus received increasing
official support, attention and press coverage in those times. The
movement was influenced with the political ideology of Chinese
Communist Party and Mao Zedong. They used slogans such as
“China’s path is our path; China’s Chairman is our Chairman”.
However, this ideological inclination to China faded away later.
Today, the Naxalite groups are no more having the same
perceptions. However, their commitment to Maoism remains as it
was earlier.
45

Political Reasons
 The movement was influenced with the political ideology of Chinese
Communist Party and Mao Zedong. They used slogans such as “China’s
path is our path; China’s Chairman is our Chairman”.
 However, this ideological inclination to China faded away later.
 Today, the Naxalite groups are no more having the same perceptions.
However, their commitment to Maoism remains as it was earlier.
 The Naxalbari movement began as an armed peasants uprising. The
insensitive nature and apathy of the political system towards tribals
remained one of the most important factors that led to such uprisings.
46

Political Reasons
 The most important political factor for rise of naxalism is the
inability of the legitimate political authority in India to provide
avenues for structural uplift to the deprived sections of
society in the affected states. There are some areas where
there is absolutely no civil administration or police.
 The Naxalites operate in a vacuum created by administrative
and political institutions, espouse local demands, take
advantage of the discontent prevalent among the exploited
sections of the population and seeks to offer an alternative
system of governance that promises emancipation of these
segments from the clutches of the exploiter classes through
the barrel of gun.
47

Economic Reasons
 Problem of poverty and economic inequality and
underdevelopment in the naxal affected regions.
 Skewed distribution of land and economic growth.
 Encroachment of forest lands by and wealth controlled by
contractor-politician nexus.
 Entry of mining companies in Tribal lands and forests, posing
threat to the livelihood of the tribals.
 Indigenous tribal population deprived of their lands, uprooted
from their traditional source of livelihood. Globalization accused
to have led many MNCs making inroads in tribal areas owing to
their resource richness. The benefits of the resource exploitation
are not passed on the tribals.
48

Economic Reasons
 Well knitted linkage between the illegal mining industry in
Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand which results in a lucrative source
of earning for the Naxal leadership and cadres.
 The tribal villages have no medial facilities, no schools, low
literacy, and high poverty.
 The Naxalite cadre base is formed of tribals, lower castes from
India’s poorest communities, form the Naxals’ cadre base.
Naxalite movement is supported by the grievances of the
tribals and the dalits.
49

Psychology of Naxals / Issues of
Naxals
50

Caste / Gender based exploitation
 This includes
1. Victimization of Adivasi women
2. Sexual exploitation of women living in Salwa Judum
3. Recruitment of teenage girls as special police officers
4. Exploitation of low caste women by upper caste males.
51

Religious Minorities
 The Maoists use the
1. Babri mosque demolition
2. Gujarat riots
3. And other such events
to call up the minorities to unite against the fascist Hindus.
 They give unequivocal support to Kashmiris, Nagas, ULFA and
Meiteis.
52

Ideology of Left Wing Violence
 Naxalism is actually based on the principles of Maoism to achieve a
similar transformation in India. Ideologically, the whole movement
of Naxalism / Maoism / Left Wing Extremism (LWE) is a hodge-
podge of Marxism, Leninism and Maoism (MLM). This entire
movement is for a communist revolution, which they call “Indian
Revolution” to establish socialism and thereby to reach the stage of
communism. To achieve this so called “Indian Revolution”, they
would overthrow the Indian State through armed struggle; capture
the political power and then Introduce New Democratic Revolution
(NDR).
 They follow the Theory of Contradiction whereby contradiction
between the great masses and feudal system can be ended only by
the New Democratic Revolution (NDR).
53

 The contradictions are –
1. Between the idealist outlook and the materialist outlook
of the world
2. Between proletariat and bourgeois
3. Between labor and capital
4. Between feudalism and common masses and so on
 The Maoists party programme included the following:
1. To declare that Indian Independence in 1947 was a fake independence
2. Armed Struggle is the path to seize political power by encircling from
countryside to countrywide
3. Chinese path of armed struggle has to be followed.
4. Maoist forces of South Asia should be united to overthrow the Indian State
5. Women, Dalit, Minority and Nationality question is essentially a class question
6. Boycott of elections
7. New democracy will be people’s democracy. Ultimate goal is to establish a
People’s Democratic Federal Republics of India
54

Issues of agrarian community
The Maoists point to the farmer suicides in Vidarbha, Andhra
Pradesh etc.
Their programme includes
1. Signing off the peasants debts,
2. Restoration of farm subsidies,
3. Investment in irrigation,
4. Proper prices of farm produce
5. Ban on Multi National Companies.
55

Stated Purpose of the Naxal Movement
 One of the foremost purpose of the Naxal Movement is to establish
an alternative state structure in India by creating a “red corridor”.
The term Red corridor has been used for the entire naxal-infested
region in India that includes Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Jharkhand as
well as parts of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and
Maharashtra. Red Corridor is almost contiguous from India’s border
with Nepal to the northern fringes of Tamil Nadu. However, Red
Corridor is actually a contiguous strip that runs from the southern
tip of Chhattisgarh to central Jharkhand – the two key theatres of
naxal violence.
56

Various Mobilization Strategies57

State response to naxalism
 Government of India’s response to Naxalism can be summarized in the following
points:
1. Deployment of CPMF, IR , Cobra Battalions and Eradication of Naxalites.
2. Integrated Action Plan (IAP) Modernization of Police Force scheme
3. Security Related Expenditure (SRE) scheme, Infrastructure Scheme (SIS)
4. Training for state police by Army, Fortified Police Stations
5. Intelligence sharing, Inter-state coordination and Unified Commands
6. Assistance in development works, Various development programs and schemes, Civil
Action Plans
7. No dialogue with Naxalites unless they abjure violence
8. Surrender Policies by state Governments
58

Some writings found on Naxalism
 “The spread of Naxalism is an indication of the sense of desperation and
alienation that is sweeping over of large sections of our nation who have
been not only systematically marginalized but cruelly exploited and
dispossessed in their last homelands…the central Indian adivasis have been
described as “the original autochthonous people of India” meaning that
their presence in India pre-dated the Dravidians, the Aryans and whoever
else settled in this country…these are the real swadeshi products of India, in
whose presence all others are foreign. These are ancient people with moral
rights and claims thousands of years old. They were here first and should
come first in our regard…Unfortunately like indigenous people all over the
world, the India’s adivasis too have been savaged and ravaged by later
people claiming to be more civilized.”
59

 “At the national level 45.86 percent of all adivasis live below
the poverty line which means that almost half of India’s original
inhabitants go to bed every night starving. Several
anthropometric studies have revealed that successive
generations of adivasis are actually becoming smaller unlike
all other people in India who benefit from better and
increasingly nutritious diet.”
 “Poverty, lack of land reforms, caste discrimination and
oppression and denial of access to justice push the Dalits
closer to the Naxals. The concentration of Dalit populations in
the Naxalite affected areas in India is quite high.”
60

How to tackle Naxalism in India
1. Good governance
2. Dialogue with naxals as well as tribals
3. Generate more employment and increase wages
4. Pay attention to rehabilitation and resettlement
5. Take steps to prevent environmental degradation
6. Stop the political marginalization of weaker sections
7. Remove disparity
8. Let ordinary citizens have access to basic resources
9. Take steps for welfare of the tribals
10.Modernize law enforcement agencies
61

References
 www.google.com
 www.youtube.com
 At War with Oneself by Nandini Sundar
62

More Some More Of That ??
…………….. Here U Go
 http://naxalwatch.blogspot.in
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xxui-UHYG44
 http://understandingsociety.blogspot.in/2010/12/indias-
naxalites.html
 Google Search “articles in newspapers about naxalism “
63

A Presentation By
Manoj Kumar
&
Rameshwar Kunkana
 Have a Good day !!!
64

Naxal Problem In India

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