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www.GOALias.blogspot.comThe Crisis of Democratic Order 105The Naxalite MovementIn 1967 a peasant uprising took place in the Naxalbari police station area ofDarjeeling hills district in West Bengal under the leadership of the local cadresof the Communist Party of India (Marxist). Beginning from the Naxalbari policestation, the peasant movement spread to several states of India and came tobe referred broadly as the Naxalite movement. In 1969, they broke off from theCPI (M) and a new party, Communist Party (Marxist-Leninist) (CPI-ML), wasformed under the leadership of Charu Majumdar. It argued that democracy inIndia was a sham and decided to adopt a strategy of protracted guerrilla warfarein order to lead to a revolution.The Naxalite movement hasused force to snatch land fromthe rich landowners and give itto the poor and the landless. Itssupporters advocated the use ofviolent means to achieve theirpolitical goals. In spite of the useof preventive detention and otherstrong measures adopted by theWest Bengal government run bythe Congress party, the Naxalitemovement did not come to an end. In later years, it spread to many other partsof the country. The Naxalite movement has by now splintered into variousparties and organisations. Some of these parties, like the CPI – ML (Liberation)participate in open, democratic politics.Currently about 75 districts in nine States are affected by Naxalite violence.Most of these are very backward areas inhabited by Adivasis. In these areas thesharecroppers, under-tenants andCharu Majumdar(1918-1972): Communistrevolutionary and theleader of the Naxalbariuprising; participated inthe Tebhaga movementbefore independence; leftthe CPI and founded theCommunist Party of India(Marxist-Leninist); believedin the Maoist path of peasant rebellion anddefended revolutionary violence; died in policecustody.small cultivators are denied theirbasic rights with regard to securityof tenure or their share in produce,payment of fair wages etc. Forcedlabour, expropriation of resourcesby outsiders and exploitation bymoneylenders are also commonin these areas. These conditionslead to the growth of the Naxalitemovement.Governments have taken sternmeasures in dealing with theNaxalite movement. Humanright activists have criticisedthe government for violatingconstitutional norms in dealingwith the Naxalites. Many thousand people have lost their lives in the violence bythe Naxalites and the anti-Naxalite violence by the government.