naxalism - the enemy within

8/9/2019 Naxalism - The Enemy Within

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VolumeVolumeVolumeVolume 1, Issue1, Issue1, Issue1, Issue ---- 7777 INDIA FIRSTINDIA FIRSTINDIA FIRSTINDIA FIRST JuneJuneJuneJune JulyJulyJulyJuly ---- 2010201020102010www.bjpkarwww.bjpkarwww.bjpkarwww.bjpkaritcellitcellitcellitcell.org.org.org.org Online News MagazineOnline News MagazineOnline News MagazineOnline News Magazine [email protected]@[email protected]@bjp.org

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Naxalism - The Enemy Within

The Naxal name comes from the village of Naxalbari in

the state of West Bengal where the movement originated. The Naxals

are considered far-left radical communists, supportive of Maoist

political sentiment and ideology. Their origin can be traced to the

split in 1967 of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), leading to

the formation of the Communist Party of India (MarxistLeninist).

Initially, the movement had its centre in West Bengal. In later

years, it spread into less developed areas of rural central and

eastern India, such as Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh

through the activities of underground groups like the Communist

Party of India (Maoist).

`Naxalite` or `Naxalism` is an informal name given to radical, often

violent, revolutionary communist groups that were born out of the

Sino-Soviet split in the Indian communist movement. Ideologically

they belong to various trends of Maoism. Initially the movement had its

epicentre in West Bengal.

Naxal ideology owes it's origins to the abject penury and

stems from the all pervasive poverty in the Indian

hinterland. The Naxal movement is showing signs of bette

organization of its political and military wings. The Red

Corridor held by Naxals stretches across the swath of fores

lands from Andhra Pradesh in South India to Maharashtra

Chhattisgarh, Orissa, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Biha

and is expanding. Some of the quite south Indian states are

also now slowing being poached by the false assurances o

Naxals.

Naxalites are those who fight for freedom of the downtrodden and equal social and financial status for all,

irrespective of class, caste and religion. They are for decentralization of power. A radical who employs terror as a

political weapon; usually organizes with other terrorists in small cells; often uses religion as a cover for terrorist

activities. They are organised mostly where there is forest cover. One who espouses naxalism is a naxalite. Their

motto is to show teeth and enlarge upon their ideologyand if possible support the landless and poor.Naxalism and Fascism are actually terrorism in India, often more severe than terrorist

attacks. Naxalism is Terrorism in the name of Social Justice. What do you think?


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Naxalist MovementNaxalist MovementNaxalist MovementNaxalist Movement ---- OOOOrigin and causesrigin and causesrigin and causesrigin and causes

Naxalism originated by a gentleman K Sanyal who

believed in Communist ideology, but thought that the

economic freedom will come when you fight with the

rich who have amassed wealth.

The term comes from Naxalbari, (a small village in

West Bengal), where a leftist section of Communist

Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) led by CharuMajumdar and Kanu Sanyal led a militant peasant

uprising in 1967, trying to develop a "revolutionary

opposition" in order to establish "revolutionary rule"

in India. Majumdar greatly admired Mao Zedong of

China and advocated that Indian peasants and lower

classes must follow in his footsteps and overthrow the

government and upper classes whom he held

responsible for their plight.

In 1967 'Naxalites' organized the All India

Coordination Committee of CommunistRevolutionaries (AICCCR), and broke away from

CPI(M). Uprisings were organized in several parts of

the country. In 1969, AICCCR gave birth to

Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist). After

the internal revolt led by Satyanarayan Singh in 1971

and the death of Majumdar in 1972, the movement

was fragmented into many competing factions.

Even as on today, there are several splitter groups

operating in various states.

Practically, all Naxalite groups trace their origin to the CPI(ML). Aseparate tendency from the beginning was the Maoist Communist Centre,

which evolved out of the Dakshin Desh-group. MCC later fused with

People's War Group to form Communist Party of India (Maoist). A third

tendency is that of the Andhra revolutionary communists, which was

mainly presented by UCCRI(ML), following the mass line legacy of

T.Nagi Reddy. That tendency broke with AICCCR at an early stage.

A new party CPI(ML) was launched on the birth anniversary of Lenin.

Charu Majumdar was elected as the Secretary of Central Organising

Committee. AICCR was dissolved. Several of the splitter groups are now

re-grouping to form a stronger National treat to the nation. They arecontinuously holding the Government responsible for the atrocities meted

on innocent villagers and are encouraging them to join the movement.

Kanu Sanyal declared the formation of the party at a massive meeting on Shahid Minar ground

Calcutta and CPI (M) tries to disrupt the meeting.This resulted in armed clash between CPI (M) and CPI (ML)cadres for the first time. By this time, primary guerrilla zone appear at Debra-gopiballavpur (WB), Musal in

Bihar, Lakhimpur Kheri in UP and mostimportantly Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh. Andhra Pradesh police killComrade Panchadri Krishnamurty and six other revolutionaries during a crackdown on Srikakulam struggle,

giving way to sparking nation- wide protests.

India- birth place of Naxalism


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An Overview of the History


1948-Struggle in Telangana:

In June 1948, a leftist ideological document 'Andhra Pradesh Letter'

laid down a revolutionary strategy based on Mao Tsetung's New

Democracy.

1964-Split in United CPI:

CPM splits from united CPI and decides to participate in elections,

postponing armed struggle over revolutionary policies. to the day of

the revolutionary situation in the country.

1969:

A new party CPI(ML) was launched on the birth anniversary of

Lenin. Charu Majumdar was elected as the Secretary of Central

Or anisin Committee.

1965-66 Naxalite Movement:

Communist leader Charu Majumdar wrote various articles, which formed

the basis of naxalite movement.

1967-Naxalbari Uprisal:

CPM forms a coalition United Front government in West Bengal with

Bangla Congress. This lead to schism in the party with younger cadres,

including the "visionary" Charu Majumdar, accusing the CPM of

betraying the revolution. This gave way to Naxalbari Uprisal

1968: May 14:

AICCR was renamed as- All India Coordination Committee of

Communist Revolutionaries (AICCCR) with Comrade S Roy Chowdhury

as its convenor. The renamed body decides to boycott elections.

Charu Majumdar, inspired by the doctrines of Mao Zedong, provided ideological leadership for the Naxalbari

movement, advocating that Indian peasants and lower class tribals overthrow the government and upper classes by

force. A large number of urban elites were also attracted to the ideology, which spread through Majumdar's

writings, particularly the 'Historic Eight Documents' which formed the basis of Naxalite ideology.

In 1967, Naxalites organized All India Coordination Committee of Communist Revolutionaries (AICCCR)

and later broke away from CPM. Violent uprisings were organized in several parts of the country. In 1969, the

AICCCR gave birth to Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (CPI(ML)).

A separate offshoot from the beginning was the Maoist Communist Centre, which evolved out of the

Dakshin Desh-group. The MCC, later fused with the People's War Group to form the Communist Party of India

(Maoist). A third offshoot, was that of the Andhra Pradesh revolutionary communists, mainly represented by the

UCCRI(ML), following the mass line legacy of T. Nagi Reddy, broke with the AICCCR at an early stage.


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Naxalism in StatesNaxalism in StatesNaxalism in StatesNaxalism in States


1. Chhattisgarh:

In May 2005, a state government intelligence report stated that

Maoists have become a dominant force in nine of the 16 districts and

have partial but fast growing impact in four other districts. In July

2005, Chhattisgarh Director General of Police, Mr. O.P. Rathor said

that more than 40,000 square miles spread over 10 out of the 16

districts of the state was under the operational sphere of the Naxalites.Official sources estimate the number of cadres of the Naxals in

Chhattisgarh to be about 3,000.The majority of the cadres of the

Naxals are Adivasis, as the Naxalites adopted a policy to forcibly

recruit one person from each Adivasi family. The girls had to be

given if there is no male member in the family.

3. Andhra Pradesh:

Andhra Pradesh is the red cradle that nurtured the movement and

serves as the guerilla movement's main base. The Naxal movement in

Andhra Pradesh started in the late sixties in the 'Agency Area' (tribal-

inhabited forests) of Srikakulam district, (neighbouring areas of

Orissa and Jharkand ). It was only after the formation of the Peoples'War Group (PWG), by K. Seetharamaiah on 22 April 1980, that

Andhra Pradesh became the Maoist hub of India. As many as 19 out

of the state's 23 districts have been declared as the naxal infested

areas.

4. Karnataka:

Naxal presence in Karnataka was confined to the north of the state, particularly Raichur district, which borders

Andhra Pradesh. Wildlife experts see no reason other than the eviction issue for Naxalism to flourish in the region.

A study by the Samajawadi Adhyayana Kendra, a Bangalore-based NGO, on the socio-economic problems of the

Naxal-affected Malnad area revealed that the feudal system, caste related problems and economic disparity, which

gave rise to Naxalism was one of the causes.

2. Jharkhand:

The region received minimal development funds from undivided

Bihar based on a time-honored presumption: tribals live there and

they need little. Resettlement and rehabilitation issues wereand

continue to remainpoor on delivery. The areas displaced tribalswere gradually organized by a tribal rights and right-to-statehood

organization, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM). Bihars response was

to send a large team of armed police, which intimidated and arrested

at will. To protest, an estimated 3,000 tribals gathered in September

1980 in Gua, a mining-belt town near Saranda forests to the states

south, for a public meeting. JMM leader GurujiSorenbecame a

bulwark for key tribal leaders, who led movements in Saranda to

prevent the illegal felling of trees such as sal and teak. As resentment

peaked through the 1980s and 1990s, leaders sought allies with

greater firepower- the Maoiststhrough the Maoist Communist

Centre (MCC), the key rebel entity in undivided Bihar. Saranda is aMaoist area of operation and sanctuary. MCC has merged into the

Communist Party of India (Maoist), the presiding conglomerate, that

marked governance in Jharkhand since it attained statehood in 2001.


5/6 COPYRIGHT 2010 All rights reserved INDIA FIRST PAGE 5 OF 6

AntiAntiAntiAnti----NaxalismNaxalismNaxalismNaxalism ---- Policies in the Indian ContextPolicies in the Indian ContextPolicies in the Indian ContextPolicies in the Indian Context

The time is ripe enough to focus on our internal security

situation instead of devoting so much time to other issues.

The most challenging task before the government today is

the elimination of the naxal terror network in its entirety.

These anti-national elements are the biggest stumbling

blocks for the progress of the nation and hence cannot be

allowed to flourish in a democracy. If our police forces are

unable to tackle the situation, they have to be made capablethrough well chalked out capacity building measure on

priority. This is going to take significant time. However, till

such time police forces become fit enough, other options

may be exercised without any further delay, to ensure the

safety of human lives and preventing damage to public

assets.If naxal activities have to be stopped, the

government must act firmly even if they have to be

neutralized by the selective use of armed forces

including the Indian Air Force. The intelligence

network has to be strengthened significantly. Not

only the training and equipping of the police forcesbut also the development of police leadership needs

special focus. It should not be forgotten that social

issues like development of under

developed/backward and remote areas, provision of

employment opportunities, implementation of

education policies, provision of quality health

services and ensuring safety and security of human

lives and public assets are priority obligations on the

part of the government. Such steps must be

taken in a time bound manner with a clear and

implementable approach. Let us remember that now

the threat is more from these anti-national elements

as compared to hostile neighbouring countries. All

available instruments of national power must now be

exploited to eliminate these terror outfits from

If Sri Lanka can eliminate a well trained and suitably

equipped and armed LTTE, India can very well root out ill-

equipped and poorly armed anti-national elements from its

soil, provided the political leadership displays its will

clearly. While it is essential to have more and more police

personnel trained in counter-insurgency operations, it is

equally important to equip them suitably. The services of the

Army leadership and personnel at all levels may be suitably

requisitioned by the police, to fill the void temporarily, if

considered appropriate. A well planned and clear cut

strategy will definitely bring these anti-national elements to

their knees. All their known leaders/sympathisers must be

arrested immediately. Such an action might be considered as

going too far by many. But it is necessary when lives are at

stake in a civilized society. The mere issuing of statements

or condemning naxal activities is not going to fetch results

in the present context any more. Politicians and ministers

should not find any more solace in blame games between

central and state leadership. Prioritising vote bank

requirements above that of human lives is not likely to yield


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Eradication Through EducationEradication Through EducationEradication Through EducationEradication Through Education


North Eastern part of India are mostly tribals. With

little education or no education, they are easy prey

for these Naxal/Maoist elements. By educating the

tribals, Naxalism can be eradicated to some extent.

Naxalism is prevalent in almost half of India from

Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra to right up to Assam

and beyond in the East. One thing is common; most

of these active Naxalite areas are also rich inminerals situated in jungles where only the jungle

law prevails.

These people should be taught of judiciary, the

laws, and the value of public property or the

National property which is possible only by

educating them. It is also believed that this problem

poses grave threat to the internal security. And the

most important cause may be the poor

implementation of the different welfare

programmes and policies in the needy areas in the

country. The state governments as well as the

national government need to take adequate steps to

deal with this problem which needs consistent

efforts and strong political will.

If young minds can be captured by teachings of naxalism, why

cant the same minds be captured and changed through

education? Today's problem is how to change uneducated

minds which are already on the path of naxalism? The demand

and need of the moment is to prevent uncaptured minds from

giving way to naxalism. If the problem is prevented as a wholethen there will be no need to think of solving solutions! The

Government has been trying to convince them to leave the

weapons and join the main stream to end this internal mnage.

RESISTANCE TODAY RESISTANCE TODAY RESISTANCE TODAY RESISTANCE TODAY

REVOLUTION TOMMORROW !!REVOLUTION TOMMORROW !!REVOLUTION TOMMORROW !!REVOLUTION TOMMORROW !!