Question – An underground insurgent needs a mythical aura. An insurgency is as much a reality as it is the product of myths that society weaves around the insurgent. In the light of the given line, comment on “Urban Naxal”. – 28 August 2021
Answer – Urban Naxal
- The attempt to separate the country’s generation from the culture of India can be called urban Naxalism. Urban Naxalites are mainly ultra-leftist, Maoist ideologues who have only one agenda to work against India.
- In 2004 a CPI (Maoist) document titled ‘Urban Perspectives: Our Action in Urban Areas’ expanded on the urban Naxalist strategy. Primarily it focused on mobilizing industrial workers and the urban poor, with a focus on leading and specializing in urban areas, establishing pioneer organizations, integrated organizations including students, middle class workers, intellectuals, women, Dalits and religious minorities. Emphasizing on building ‘efficient joint fronts’ and providing technical material and infrastructure to the personnel as well as engaging in military activities.
- Intelligence reports suggest that leading organizations supporting ‘Urban Naxalism’ are active in several cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chandigarh, Ranchi, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Madurai, Thiruvananthapuram, Nagpur and Pune. These include lawyers, writers, human rights and social activists who have also been arrested from time to time. However, no official statement has been given by the government or government agencies regarding Urban Naxal.
- In case of urban naxalism, educated persons living in the city provide legal and intellectual support to the naxalites.
- Urban Naxalites are India’s ‘invisible enemies’, some of them have either been arrested or put on the police radar for Naxalite activities and spreading insurgency against the Indian state.
- The first case of the rise of Naxalism in the cities was seen in Kerala when a Naxalite class was caught by the police. Then it came out that now the Naxalites are spreading their network in the cities.
- Experts believe that the people who encourage the ideology behind Naxalism are hiding in the cities and carrying out their activities from the cities.
- The main agenda of Urban Naxalites is to glorify Naxalism in the cities and connect the people with the Naxalite ideology and deny any claim of development.
- Another definition of urban naxalism within it is a phenomenon that may be characterized by one or more or all of the following characteristics:
- Attempts to stop development work in any form by disrupting the Indian economy (for example by filing PILs against dam construction, nuclear power projects, etc.).
- Tampering with the country’s education system (eg RTE, Marxist propaganda in textbooks, etc.).
- Interfering in the legal and judicial process of the country
- Interference in the security system of the country
- Attack on Hindu culture in the country (eg attack on Hindu festivals, customs etc.).
- It is clear from the action of Pune Police that apart from having sympathy for the Naxalites in the urban society, the elements helping them in every possible way are active. The proof of this was found when Professor GN Saibaba of Delhi University was sentenced for the crime of helping the Naxalites. Of course, allegations against such elements are difficult to prove, but that does not mean that there are no hidden helpers of Naxalites in urban society.
- The Home Ministry has suggested that the strategy to deal with the challenges of Left Wing Extremism should include a plan to deal with ‘Urban Naxalism’. State governments will have to initiate legal action against Maoist front organizations. A separate budget should be made to counter the increasing Naxalite activities in the cities. As the youth of the country is becoming aware, he wants to become a partner in the development of the country. He is getting disillusioned with the ideology of Naxalism.
Today that section of youth which has come under the grip of Naxalism, needs to be explained, it needs to be linked with the constitutional system and the society will have to come forward to do this work.
