CHANGING FACES OF NAXALISM

Left extremism is today more popularly known as Naxalism as its founding father, Kanu Sanyal, in 1960s launched this bloody movement in a West Bengal interior named as Naxalbari. It immediately surprised the people in the entire country as they had never heard about such a strange political development. It took no time to spread to different parts of Bengal and undivided Bihar. Their tactics included guerilla warfare as they selected small targets in farflung corners and killed their class enemies.

The experts of the subject hold the view that extremism or terrorism has a maximum lifespan of ten years after which it peters out. According to them no problem in the world has so far been solved through terrorism. Punjab is a burning example.  But it may linger if it has support from the neighbouring enemy countries and internal sympathizers. That is why even after nearly half a century, the movement, though spread to the states like West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Chhattisgarh, it has not been able to do anything appreciable for the Adivasis and other downtrodden people. With pressure from the Govt, they are pushed against the wall and counting their last days. Particulrly the strict anti-Naxalism measures of P. Chimbaram, former Home Minster made their life miserable. They started carrying on a few misadventures to press the Govt to stop their police actions. The Bastar incident of May25,2013, in which 27 people, mostly of the Chhattisgarh Congress were mercilessly butchered, was also intended to show that they are still alive and kicking and the Govt should not ignore them as a squeezed force.

Of late, there has been a trend in J&K militants and the Naxalites that the wayward elements, who have no job, no recognition in the society, join these anti-national activities and think themselves as heroes. They have nothing to do with the ideology. Their main interests are money, sex and lavish life style. As a result, the movement is losing its appeal. The authentic books on terrorism mention that militancy succeeds when it gets transformed into insurgency. Similarly insurgency fails when it reverts to militancy. In such a situation, they lose the public support and without that the struggle is bound to die out. It has already happened elsewhere  and is going soon to grip the Naxalites in India.

To be precise, Nxalism is raising its head in the districts of Nalanda, Jahanabd and Gaya of Bihar, Malkangiri and Koraput of Odisha, Palmau of Jharkhand, Sirkakulam of Andhra and Bastar of Chhattisgarh. For these districts, already 82,000 central police forces are deputed. Bastar alone has 22.000 and the local administration is demanding for additional 30,000 personnel which is being favourably considered. Similarly. The Air Force has shifted its helicopter base from Gorakhpur to Nagpur for better reachability. Important Naxalite leaders have been nabbed in Bihar and Chhattisgarh. Their end appears to be round the corner.