Left Wing Extremism: The Way Ahead

Left-wing extremism, also called Naxalism, or Maoism has been around since the late 60s. After 60 years, the movement may be down but not out. The UPA government had described the Maoist movement as the greatest internal security threat. In the last few years, the government has been proactive in dealing with the Naxalist violence. A judicious mix of security and developmental measures have put considerable pressure on the movement. According to government figures, there has been a significant decline in moist violence since 2014. As compared to 1089 incidents of violence in 2015, only 67 were reported in 2019. The footprint of Naxalism has sharply reduced from 90 districts in 2014 to 34 districts in 2019. Yet, it cannot be denied that the movement may be down but it is not out. Even as late as recent March 2020, Maoists looted a police station in the Sukma district of Chattisgarh.