Six years ago, the Prime Minister of India had declared that Maoism was the single biggest internal security challenge ever faced by our country. On 6 April 2010, 76 CRPF men were ambushed and killed by Maoists in the forests of Dantewada, state of Chhattisgarh. What is Maoism and what do Maoists want?
Origin of Maoism
The term Maoism comes from Mao Zedong of China who formulated a variant of the Marxist-Leninist communism in China. The main principle of Maoism is the armed revolt of the farmers against the ruling class. It is also known as the People’s War wherein masses of the lower classes resort to guerilla warfare against the ruling parties and the government.
Maoism in India
In post independent India, the government brought thousands of acres of land under development. This acquisition of land left thousands of tribal communities homeless. According to Dr. Walter Fernandez an estimated 60 million people were displaced between 1947 and 2004. These tribal people did not get adequate compensation and were deprived of their livelihood since they depended on the forests for sustenance.
In 1967 in the Naxalbari village in West Bengal, tribals and peasants organized the first armed struggle against the government. Led by Charu Majumdar who was influenced by Maoist thought, the movement became known as the Naxalite movement.
Today, the Communist Party of India (Maoist) is the political party representing the principles of Maoism. Its aim is to overthrow the government of India. The Maoist movement has infested almost the whole country in the past 40 years. It is now present in 23 of the 28 states. Every year, the Maoists are killing more people in order to fulfill their aims.
Government of India’s Response to Maoism
The government of India has banned the CPI (Maoist) party by labeling it as a terrorist organization and is constantly exploring military options to put an end to Maoism. This is because the Maoist organization is being funded chiefly through extortion, looting, abductions and poppy cultivation.
Solution to Maoism
According to the Peoples Union for Democratic Rights, the killing of the 76 men in Dantewada is an unfortunate fallout of the government's policy of military attack on the Maoists. Labeling the CPI (Maoist) as a terrorist organization based on its way of working masks the underlying issue of the tribal community which is an integral part of India.
Unless both sides are willing to look in to the matter of land allocation, development and livelihood of the tribals, there cannot be a peaceful solution to Maoism in India.
References
India's Simmering Revolution: The Naxalite Uprising, by Sumanta Banerjee. Published by Zed Books, 1984.
India: Demand a stop to the Indian governments assault on the CPI-Maoist and adivasis people!. 19 Oct 2009. The article sent out on the World to Win e-list.
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