Born two decades ago, how the banned Maoist party failed to withstand evolving socio-political realities

By Harsh Thakor*

On September 21, exactly two decades ago, the now banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) (CPI-Maoist) was established. It was born following the merger brought of two factions—the Maoist Communist Centre of India, primarily based in Bihar and West Bengal, and the CPI (ML) People’s War—after more than 30 years of intense armed struggle and internal conflicts.

Since its formation on September 21, 2004, sources in the the CPI (Maoist) claim, as many as 5,249 comrades, including 22 members of its Central Committee, among whom a significant number are women, were killed mainly during encounter with Indian security forces.

The journey of the CPI (Maoist) is rooted in the famous 1967 Naxalbari uprising led by Charu Mazumdar, which was praised by the Communist Party of China (CPC) as the "Spring Thunder over India." The uprising followed a revolt within the CPI (M) by those who adhered to the Maoist ideology, emphasizing an armed agrarian revolution and area-wide political power seizure.

The party's military strategy included protracted people’s war (PPW), which has now turned into currently turned into what it calls ‘strategic defense.’ It claims to have wage liberation movement against the Indian state by opposing the privatization of resources, labor exploitation, and the spread of the Hindutva ideology. In regions of Central India, it supplanted ‘people’s governments’ in several regions, claiming, these have been formed by Adivasi peasants, demonstrating a genuine implementation of self-governance.

Many Maoist leaders, active since the 1970s and 1980s, are currently enduring the harsh realities of underground life with minimal resources or recognition, even as facing severe state repression over multiple decades starting with the crackdown on Naxalbari uprising.

After the CPI (Maoist) was formed in 2004, the government identified it as a principal internal security threat, escalating counterinsurgency operations, which include the most recent ones like the Operation Kagaar and the Operation Green Hunt.

The Indian government first launches a nationwide counterinsurgency operation in 2009. Under BJP rule since 2014, it intensified operations, which critics say, is meant to implement corporatization and militarization of the conflict zones, where there have been frequent drone strikes and aerial bombings in the tribal regions.

Several intellectuals and activists have praised the CPI (Maoist) for its contributions to social and economic development in rural areas. Authors such as Arundhati Roy and Gautam Navlakha have highlight the Maoists' role in fostering self-governance and improving the quality of life for the rural poor. However, critics note the challenges faced by Maoists, including dwindling ranks and internal divisions.

Despite its big claims, the CPI (Maoist) has faced considerable setbacks, with a number of its members killed or surrendering due to heightened state pressure and the allure of government incentives. This situation has raised questions about the party's connection to the people and its strategic approaches.

The CPI (Maoist) acknowledges significant losses over the past year, particularly in Chhattisgarh, revealing vulnerabilities in its structure. In documenting these losses, the party has recognized the efficacy of state forces and their counterinsurgency tactics.

Questions have been raised on the ability of the CPI (Maoist) in the present situation to gain traction among the broader marginalized population and effectively address the root causes of discontent. It has failed to navigate internal and external challenges that threaten to undermine its stated objectives.

In a 25-page booklet, released on August 25, CPI (Maoist) has admitted that the heightened aggression of security forces and ‘cordon, search and kill tactics’ have significantly weakened its organization.

According to the report, 22 high-ranking commanders have been killed, including eight members of the CPI (Maoist) politburo. The toll includes 48 SZC (special zonal committee) members, 14 regional committee members, 167 district committee members, 26 sub-zonal committee members, 505 ACMs (area committee members) and platoon cadres, 887 People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) cadres and what it calls 3,596 ‘fighters’.

The booklet details the impact of the insurgency on state forces, including Chhattisgarh. Maoists claim to have killed 3,090 security personnel and injuring 4,077. The banned outfit says its cadres carried out 4,073 incidents of violence “between Burkapal and Tahkawada in Bastar”, and “extending into Maharashtra, Odisha, and Jharkhand”.

Indeed, the methods and ideology of the CPI (Maoist) have failed to sustain the party amidst intensified state repression and evolving socio-political realities. The result is (i) the CPI (Maoist) leadership’s alienation from the people; (ii) popular resentment against its activities; and (iii) its fast-extinguishing base in the forests of Chhattisgarh, Telangana and the border areas of Gadchiroli in Maharashtra.

---

*Freelance journalist

Comments

Anonymous said…

Quite informative piece one hasly find any mentioned in mainstream or social media. I wish the could have included the impact of Salwa Judum created by the BJP Govt., on the Maoist movement in Chattisgargh which was declared by 3 member branch of the SC as illegal. To circumvent SC decision BJP continued onslaught on Maoists under different name. Also, the author appears too soft in criticizing UPA Govt which under HM Chidamberan started "operation green hunt in WB backed by LatecSitaram ayechuri of CPIM.then Jajya Sabha member.

September 21, 2024

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Was Netaji forced to alter face, die in obscurity in USSR in 1975? Was he so meek?

By Rajiv Shah This should sound almost hilarious. Not only did Subhas Chandra Bose not die in a plane crash in Taipei, nor was he the mysterious Gumnami Baba who reportedly passed away on 16 September 1985 in Ayodhya, but we are now told that he actually died in 1975—date unknown—“in oblivion” somewhere in the former Soviet Union. Which city? Moscow? No one seems to know.

Love letters in a lifelong war: Babusha Kohli’s resistance in verse

By Ravi Ranjan* “War does not determine who is right—only who is left.” Bertrand Russell’s words echo hauntingly in our times, and few contemporary Hindi poets embody this truth as profoundly as Babusha Kohli. Emerging from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, Kohli has carved a unique space in literature by weaving together tenderness, protest, and philosophy across poetry, prose, and cinema. Her work is not merely artistic expression—it is resistance, refuge, and a call for peace.

The golden crop: How turmeric is transforming women's lives in tribal India

By Vikas Meshram* When the lush green fields of turmeric sway in the tribal belt of southern Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat, it is not merely a spice crop — it is the golden glow of self-reliance. In villages where even basic spices once had to be bought from the market, the very soil today is yielding a prosperity that has transformed the lives of thousands of families. At the heart of this transformation is the initiative of Vaagdhara, which has linked turmeric with livelihoods, nutrition, and village self-governance — gram swaraj.

Authoritarian destruction of the public sphere in Ecuador: Trumpism in action?

By Pilar Troya Fernández The situation in Ecuador under Daniel Noboa's government is one of authoritarianism advancing on several fronts simultaneously to consolidate neoliberalism and total submission to the US international agenda. These are not isolated measures, but rather a coordinated strategy that combines job insecurity, the dismantling of the welfare state, unrestricted access to mining, the continuation of oil exploitation without environmental considerations, the centralization of power through the financial suffocation of local governments, and the systematic criminalization of all forms of opposition and popular organization.

Echoes of Vietnam and Chile: The devastating cost of the I-A Axis in Iran

By Ram Puniyani The recent joint military actions by Israel and the United States against Iran have been devastating. Like all wars, this conflict is brutal to its core, leaving a trail of human suffering in its wake. The stated pretext for this aggression—the brutality of the Ayatollah Khamenei regime and its nuclear ambitions—clashes sharply with the reality of the diplomatic landscape. Iran had expressed a willingness to remain at the negotiating table, signaling a readiness to concede points emerging from dialogue.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

False claim? What Venezuela is witnessing is not surrender but a tactical retreat

By Manolo De Los Santos The early morning hours of January 3, 2026, marked an inflection point in Venezuela and Latin America’s centuries-long struggle for self-determination and independence. Operation Absolute Resolve, ordered by the Trump administration, constituted the most brutal and direct military assault on a sovereign state in the region in recent memory. In a shocking operation that left hundreds dead, President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores were illegally kidnapped from Venezuelan soil and transported to the United States, where they now face fabricated charges in a New York federal detention facility. In the two months since this act of war, a torrent of speculation has emerged from so-called experts and pundits across the political spectrum. This has followed three main lines: One . The operation’s success indicated treason at the highest levels of the Bolivarian Revolution. Two . Acting President Delcy Rodríguez and the remaining leadership have abandone...

The price of silence: Why Modi won’t follow Shastri, appeal for sacrifice

By Arundhati Dhuru, Sandeep Pandey* In 1965, as India grappled with war and a crippling food crisis, Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri faced a United States that used wheat shipments under the PL-480 agreement as a lever to dictate Indian foreign policy. Shastri’s response remains legendary: he appealed to the nation to skip one meal a day. Millions of middle-class households complied, choosing temporary hunger over the sacrifice of national dignity. Today, India faces a modern equivalent in the energy sector, yet the leadership’s response stands in stark contrast to that era of self-reliance.

Search This Blog