The Naxalites were the Marxist and Leninist agricultural workers of Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar and adjoining areas which organised massive agitation against economic injustice and inequality and demanded redistribution of land to cultivators.
Conditions responsible for the growth of Naxalite Movement in India:
A peasant uprising took place in the Naxalbari police station area of Darjeeling hills district in West Bengal in 1967. This movement spread very fast to several states and was known as the Naxalite movement. A new party known as the CPI-ML was formed under the leadership of Charu Majumdar. Presently, 83 districts across 10 states (as of July 2011) are affected by Naxalite violence. Most of these are backward areas inhabited by Adivasis. In these areas, the share croppers, undertenants and small cultivators are denied their basic rights with regard to security to tenure or their share in produce, payment of fair wages, etc. Forced labour, expropriation of resource by outsiders and exploitation by money lenders are also common in these areas. These conditions led to the growth of the Naxalite movement.
Role in Indian Politics :
1. Naxalite did not participate in the elections formally but these were actively associated with parties. Some of these parties such as CPI-ML participated in democratic politics.
2. Naxalites ensured a better representation of demands of deprived social sections in party politics.
3. These movements retained associations or relations along with the political parties either as an individual or as an organisations
