Mukesh Kumar asked: How Naxalism in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh or Andhra Pradesh are different from each other in terms of goal, ideology, impact, etc.

P.V. Ramana replies: It is not different. It is spearheaded by a single group known as the Communist Party of India (Maoist) or CPI (M). It has a presence across 106 districts in 10 States including in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh.

The objective is to capture/seize political power through an armed revolution or ‘protracted people’s war’. Their ideology is based on Marxism – Leninism – Mao Tse Tung (MLM) thought.

Maoist/Naxalite violence has resulted in huge loss of lives, a few thousand, over the years. It has caused wide-spread destruction, impeded development and lead to immense hardship for the people.

For more on the topic, please refer to my following publication:

“Measures to deal with Left Wing Extremism”, IDSA Occasional Paper No. 20, 2011.

Posted on March 16, 2018