Nemesis of Left Extremism: State, Salwa Judum and Naxalism

This book examines the ideology of Naxalism in India with a focus on the factors, forces and dynamics which gave birth to it and sustained it for decades before rapidly moving towards extinction after 2014. It explains how the ideology of egalitarianism and the quest for realization of an exploitation-free society attracted both the educated elites in urban settings and the illiterate and the poor in remote rural India. The agrarian crisis in India and ideological divides within the global communist movement had an impact on the communist movement in India as well. The political parties and the Indian state also kept on wavering on their position, blowing hot and cold as per political convenience, which allowed the Naxal movement to sustain. The growth and success of the market economy eventually dented the ideological moorings, and the Indian state combined welfarism, development and clear military intent to finally prevail over the Naxalites.