LEFT WING EXTREMISM : PART 1
Presented by Ajay Kumar Muchakurthi
Left Wing Extremism
Left Wing Extremism – Naxalism
Naxal – Name from village Naxalbari of Darjeeling District in WB
Movement – Originated in 1967
Refers to use of violence to destabilize state through guerrilla groups
Naxalites – left radical communists
Political ideology : Mao Zedong – Chinese revolutionary leader
Operating since early 70’s
As per former PM : Naxalism – Most significant threat to internal security faced by
country today
Background :
Ideological basis – Motivated by writing of Marx
Ideology – Commonly called as Communism / Marxism
Later supported by Lenin and Mao Zedong
Left ideologies – Existing social relations and state structures is capitalist society are
exploitative by nature
Only revolutionary change through violent means – Can end exploitation
Marxism – Removal of capital bourgeois elements through a violent class struggle
Maoism – Teaches to capture State power through combination of armed insurgeny,
mass mobilization and strategic alliances
As per Mao : Protracted Peoples War
Maoist ideology – Glorifies violence
Bearing of arms is non-negotiable
As per Maosim : Industrial-rural divide – Major division exploited by capitalism
Military strategy – Guerrilla war
Phases of Naxalism
Preparatory – Survey of new areas, important public issues
Perspective – Mobilisation through frontal organisations – staging demonstration
against government based on public grievances
Guerrilla – Converting Public movement into violent guerrilla warfare
Base – Maoists try to establish their base and change guerrilla zone into liberated zone
Liberated – Establishment of people’s government
Evolution of Naxalism in India
Spread and growth of Naxalism in India – Three stages
First Stage :
Naxalite movement – Began in May 1967 in 3 police station areas in WB
Left Wing Extremists from the whole country founded ‘All India Coordinatyion
Committee’ in Kolkata
1968 : Committee was renamed as ‘All India Coordination Committee of Communist
Revolutionaries’
Four ideological aims :
1. Protracted people’s war in accordance with Mao’s teachings
2. Adapting to guerrilla warfare tactics
3. Establishment of rural revolutionary base areas
4. Encircling the cities as well as abstaining from Parliamentary elections
AICCCR – Founded CPI-ML in 1969 based on Maoist ideology
Naxalite movement spread to many parts of country
Presence in AP, WB, Odisha, Bihar
Followers – Peasants, Adivasis, tribals – Those experienced discrimination
Unemployed youth – Attracted to Naxal ideology
Period between 1970 and mid-1971 : peak period of movement
Joint operation of police and army in 1971 in WB, Bihar and Odisha
Arrest and death of almost all top leaders of movement
About 40,000 cadres were imprisoned in 1975
Second Stage :
Movement rose again after Emergency
Continued to widen its base as per the strategy of ‘protracted war’
Base grew from WB to Bihar, Odisha, AP and Chhattisgarh
CPI-ML : Converted to People’s War Group in 1980
Base in AP – Heavy casualties in Police
PWG – Banned by AP Govt in 1992 : Continued its activities
Maoist Communist Centre of India – Grew in Bihar
Carried out large scale attacks on landlords
Naxal movement – Grew with steady pace
Third Stage :
PWG in AP and MCCI in Bihar : Merged to form CPI-Maoist
Currently, about 13 LWE groups are operating in India
CPI-Maoist : Major LWE group responsible for most of incidents of violence
Included in Schedule of Terrorist Organizations along with all its formation and front
organizations under UAPA 1967
After formation of CPI-Maoist : Naxal violence has been on rise since 2005
Naxalites – Challenge to India’s security forces
Barrier to development in mineral rich areas of East India – Red Corridor
Naxalites : Influence 1/3rd of geographical spread of country
Spread among 460 police stations in 223 districts across 20 states
Worst affected areas – Chhattisgarh, Odisha, MH, AP, Jharkhand, Bihar and WB
Most of these areas fall in Dandakaranya Region – Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Maharashtra
and AP
Local Panchayat leaders – Forced to resign
Holds Jan Adalat regularly
Running Parallel government and parallel judiciary
Maoists – Not just increase of violence
Maoists – Expanding in terms of indoctrination and consolidation
Trying to spread their ideology in Gond tribes, Golden Corridor stretching from Pune to
Ahmedabad
Trying to exploit new areas : Dalits , minorities through active association with their
grievances against the state
Capacity to challenge the state also increased enormously
Recent attacks
Structure
Politburo – Highest decision making body
Central Committee
State Committees/Special Area Committees
Regional Committees
Divisional/District Committees
Sub-District Committees
Area Committees
Operates through People Liberation Guerrilla Army
Three kinds of force :
1. Basic force – Gathering of intellectuals
2. Secondary force – Area committee plus guerrilla squads
3. Main force – Structured on battalion format like armed forces and an intelligence unit
