Naxalite
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Naxalite or Naxalism is an informal name given to revolutionary communist groups that were born out of the Sino-Soviet split in the Indian communist movement. 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 Charu Majumdar 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 Communist Revolutionaries (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.
Practically all Naxalite groups trace their origin to the CPI(ML). A separate 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.
Today some groups have become legal organisations participating in parliamentary elections, such as Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation. Others, such as Communist Party of India (Maoist) and Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Janashakti, are engaged in armed guerilla struggles. Many groups combine both legal and illegal methods of work.
See Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) for a list of Naxalite groups.
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 better organisation of its political and military wings. The Red Corridor held by Naxals stretches across the swath of forest lands from Andhra Pradesh in South India to Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar and is expanding.
The past few years has seen the insurgents spreading Naxal influence from 76 districts in nine states to 118 Districts in 12 States. The Communist Party of India (Maoists) was formed on September 21, 2004 through the merger of two prominent naxalite outfits - the People's War Group (PWG) and the Maoists Communists Center (MCC). The military resources of these guerrilla movements have been now combined as People's Guerilla Army (PGA) forming the cutting edge of the Naxal movement.
The insurgency is fueled by the exploitation of the peasants and poor tribals by the landlords and the timber mafia, as well as neglect and corruption by governmental offices. The lack of socio-economic developments that have occurred in these regions from any governmental force is an issue that the Naxalites frequently exploit in their calls for violent, Mao inspired, revolution.
Naxalism in popular culture
Several movies relating to the Naxal movement have been made, such as Lal Salaam, Jukti Takko Gappo, Hazaaron Khwaishen Aisi and Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa.There are also some pro-Maoist literature writers like Mr Pendyala Varavara Rao. Mr Varavara Rao is originally a Telugu literature writer and some of his books have been translated into Hindi.
The London music group Asian Dub Foundation, whose members are of Bengali extraction, sing a song called Naxalite on their album Rafi's Revenge, which lauds the Naxal movement.
External links
- Naxal Revolution
- Economist magazine article
- Guardian article
- Vice article
- Naxal Issues page of Peoples Website of Chhattisgarh
Categories
Politics of India | Maoism | Irregular military