Naxalite violence is one of the reasons given out for the lack of development in states like Chhattisgarh. Development is said to be the first casualty of the extremists? depredations. The counterpoint to this is the view that the Naxalites succeed because they inhabit the vacuum created by the absence of mainstream political parties at the grass-roots level.

Naxalism was born in the Sixties in Naxalbari in north Bengal. But it could not expand in its birthplace because of the presence of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), which gained support owing to its land reforms. The Naxalites got a foothold in Andhra Pradesh because of their association with the Telengana movement; in Bihar and now Jharkhand, because of the absence of land reforms there. Now, the extremists plan to carve out a ?revolutionary liberated zone?.

Why are the Naxalites treated on par with the militants in Kashmir? Those who oppose the Naxalites say that this is because of their use of violence. Supporters of the Naxalites counter this by saying that they have been forced to resort to violence because they are not heard otherwise. True ? ever heard of a media report about how, for the past 2-3 months, there has been no violence by the Naxalites? But is violence a legitimate way of ensuring one gets heard?

Local lords

In areas where they are dominant, like Dantewara district in Chhattisgarh, the Naxalites run a parallel government. Here, even policemen are reluctant to venture out wearing uniforms. No wonder, this is one place where you will not hear of police atrocities. Such is the fear that the Naxalites evoke.

But, for a moment, stop thinking about the Naxalites as a threat and try to put things in perspective. The Naxalites demand a separate state. What?s wrong with that? A number of regional political parties too raise the same demand.

The Naxal movement is still largely confined to the forests and tribal areas of the country. It has not been able to make much of an impact in the cities. Perhaps, developing the rural areas is one way to tackle this problem. Unfortunately, the Naxalites oppose this development strategy of the state. By building roads and infrastructure, they say, the government wants to exploit the natural resources which belongs to the indigenous people of the area.

It might come as a surprise that most Naxalites are well educated. In their pamphlets, the discussion ranges from the American globalization policy, the communal tension in Godhra to the problems faced by women, Dalits, tribals and religious minorities.

Greater revolution

The Naxalites advocate educating people against patriarchy and casteism. Their hatred for ?Hindu fascism? is also well known. They are of the view that most of the present political parties are nothing but a farce. They also talk about bringing change in the realm of social practice.

The Indian Naxalites maintain relations with extremist groups in Sri Lanka, Nepal, the Philippines and Turkey. Within the country too, they have expanded fast ? from Naxalbari to 12 states. Lately, they have also made inroads into Haryana and Punjab, as per reports of the Union home ministry. Is there then more to Naxalism than is generally perceived? Perhaps.

But their use of violence puts a pall on everything. At the very least, all the opprobrium that the killing of innocent people and government officials gets them ensures that no one gets to know what ideology they follow. After all, even the noblest of causes cannot be justified if it means the spilling of human blood.