1st Edition

The Maoist Movement in India Perspectives and Counterperspectives

Edited By Santosh Paul Copyright 2013
    300 Pages
    by Routledge India

    300 Pages
    by Routledge India

    This book presents the raging debate on one of the most brutal political realities that India has confronted in recent years: the rising conflict between Maoist insurgent groups and the Indian State. With some of the finest writings on the subject, it brings together articles and interviews from leading authors, politicians, journalists, intellectuals, filmmakers and legal practitioners. The volume straddles between two apparently irreconcilable perspectives: (a) the view that the Maoist movement threatens the very core of democratic foundations, and should be perceived as a violent law & order situation justifying severe retaliatory measures, and (b) the counterview where Maoists are fiercely defended as revolutionaries and comrades of resistance, and the movement seen as the last-ditch struggle by those who have been abandoned over years by the State in its developmental process.





    The essays probe whether armed struggle is avoidable, whether the desperate desire for peace has simply been overtaken by political ideologies, and whether an inclusive developmental State policy may help restore faith in its democratic ethos. The book will be of interest to academics and students of politics, sociology, social anthropology and law. It will also be extremely useful to social workers, policymakers, politicians, bureaucrats, as well as the general reader.

    List of Plates. List of Abbreviations. Preface. Acknowledgements. Introduction Santosh Paul. Part I. Introduction to Maoism 1. What Maoism has Contributed Samir Amin 2. Rumour of Maoism Aditya Nigam 3. The Maoist Insurgency in India: End of the Road for Indian Stalinism? Jairus Banaji Part II. Reality and Experiences 4. The State at the Doorstep Smita Gupta 5. A Really Dark Corner Madhavi Tata 6. Life in the ‘Liberated Zone’: Inside Abujmarh the Mythic Citadel Tusha Mittal 7. Here, Silence Speaks Volumes Supriya Sharma 8. Inside Maoistan Shafi Rahman 9. Address the Root Causes of Naxalism Sonia Gandhi 10. Nothing Very Civil About this War Shobhan Saxena 11. The Path Rarely Taken Dola Mitra 12. Through an Egyptian Mirror Vinod Mehta 13. Andhra’s Maoist Dens Turn Havens of Development Srinivasa Rao Part III. Mining and Environment 14. I Have Differed with Chidambaram on His Strategy, But We Remain Friends Digvijay Singh 15. No Back Door Entry to Private Firms for Mining B. K. Handique 16. Ironic? Story of the Great Indian Loot Shankar Raghuraman 17. Cannot Deny Links between Forest Departments and Mining Lobbies Jairam Ramesh 18. As Forests Feed Growth, Tribals Given the Go-By Nitin Sethi 19. An Eco-Visionary Par Excellence Jairam Ramesh Part IV. Possible Solutions 20. Force Alone Can’t Rout the Maoists Nitish Kumar 21. Maoism: The Alaska Permanent Fund Solution Santosh Paul 22. The Nation Should Adopt the Maoists’ Area Prakash Jha 23. No Military Solutions for Maoism Swaminathan S. Anklesaria Aiyar 24. Our Freedom was Born with Hunger, We’re S

    Biography

    Santosh Paul is a practising lawyer in the Supreme Court of India.