NAXALISM: A DISEASE TO NATIONAL SECURITY

“There is nothing worse than misguided minds and inhuman ideologies.”
Naxalism marked its presence when 76 security men lost their lives in the worst MAOIST attack in an ambush in the Dantewada District of Chhattisgarh on 7th April 2010. The results of these attacks were so severe that the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh declared ‘Left-wing Extremism’ as the gravest internal security threat for the country.
So, what is Naxalism? Naxalism is a social, political and economic phenomena run by naxalites who came from Naxalbari, a small village in West Bengal where the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) initiated a violent uprising in 1967. On May 24th the persistent social and political tensions unloaded after a landlord was attacked and led to a full-scale peasant riot. The peasants were armed with traditional weapons and engaged in bloody clashes. During the uprising, 139 people were killed among which 28 were police officers. Charu Mazumdar, a party worker became the ideological father of Naxalism. The movement was initiated to protect the rights of peasants and tribals who held the backward position in the society. The Dominating Political power at that time suppressed the movement bykilling a tribal. In response, raids were conducted, the property was stolen and destroyed, and Landlords were killed. The scenario turned violent.

The ideologies of Naxalites included: Protracted people’s war in accordance with Mao’s teachings, meaning adaption of guerrilla warfare, establishment of rural revolutionary base areas and finally encircling the cities as well as abstaining from parliamentary elections. The forest and hilly terrain areas in the Srikakulam region turned out to offer excellent conditions for guerrilla warfare. Among the discontented and frustrated tribals, Naxalites found huge number of followers and mass participation was witnessed. They even established liberated zones where there was no possibility of police or state interference.After that the Naxalite movement spread rapidly like a fire in the subcontinent. Subsequent and frequent attacks took place on police which was considered to be the representative of the state. Also, the participation of peasants and Adivasi’s increased due to the implementation of Conservation of Forests Act in 1980 which rendered them homeless and dissatisfied.

Various steps have been taken by the government to tackle this movement. Most of the steps taken are non-violent which is a good sign. It was because of lack of basic infrastructure and poor governance which made life miserable for tribals and other poor residing in these regions that this movement grew in monster proportion. Harassment by moneylenders, human rights violations by local police and siphoning off the money intended for local area development by the politicians and officials that made matters worse. Therefore, Development is the only approach that can eliminate any discontent in the long term. Areas affected by naxalism are some of the most backward regions of India. Construction of national and state highways through these areas for better connectivity with the markets and medical care, establishment of schools and colleges, supply of electricity and most importantly the implementation of MGNREGA, bringing land reforms and strengthening panchayats goes a long way in preventing people to join the Naxalites and bringing damage to the their recruitment among Naxalites. Also, The Government approved an Integrated Action Plan (IAP) for 60 Selected Tribal and Backward Districts on 25th November, 2010 and Rs. 1500 crore was released under the Scheme in December, 2010. The IAP has been approved with a block grant of Rs. 25 crore and Rs. 30 crore per district during 2010-11 and 2011-12 respectively. In addition to this, portable water is also made available through the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP). Jobs opportunities are created for the people who are in search of work.


But one often finds himself drifting away from the Truth, the Truth that Naxalite movement though is inhuman but is a result of poor functioning of the government both at the Centre and the State level. It reminds us of the harsh reality of our SYSYEM in which problems like Poverty, Unemployment, Hunger, Injustice etc. still prevail and on a large scale.Thus, there’s still a lot to be done in tackling the issue of NAXALISM as it does not only threaten the flow of foreign direct investments but could destabilize the whole political order as many citizens lose their faith in the state and therefore its legitimacy is challenged. India, on its way playing a bigger role on the international level, needs to tackle its internal problems urgently.

Arpit Porwal

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naxalite
https://www.boell.de/sites/default/files/assets/boell.de/images/download_de/2010_Naxalism_The_Maoist_Challenge_to_the_Indian_State_by_Lennart_Bendfeldt.pdf