Maoism Cannot Be Eradicated Without Addressing India’s Deep Socio-Economic Faultlines The persistence of Maoist movements in India, despite decades of state violence and repression, underscores the limitations of military and political strategies aimed at eradicating the ideology. Amit Shah’s assertion that Maoism will be eliminated by March 31, 2026, through the creation of a “Naxal Mukta Bharat” is dismissed as fundamentally flawed. The state’s reliance on force and criminalization of Maoist beliefs has failed to address the root causes of the movement, which remain deeply embedded in India’s socio-economic structure. The Naxalite movement, which emerged in the 1960s, faced significant setbacks after the arrest and death of Charu Majumdar in 1972. Despite the state’s brutal crackdown, the movement fragmented and resurged, adapting its tactics to focus on rural and tribal communities. This shift from urban-based student activism to agrarian struggles highlights the movement’s resilience and its alignment with the grievances of marginalized groups. The state’s failure to resolve land disputes, displacement of Adivasi populations, and exploitation by corporate interests has sustained the movement’s appeal. Over the past two decades, intensified state operations have resulted in the deaths of approximately 2,500 Maoists, with over 2,000 fatalities occurring after 2019. While violence has declined by more than 70% and the number of affected districts has dropped from 126 in 2014 to 11 by 2025, these metrics do not reflect the movement’s eradication. Instead, they reveal the state’s continued reliance on militarized tactics while avoiding deeper structural reforms.#chhattisgarh #amit_shah #jharkhand #charu_majumdar #naxal_mukta_bharat
