In a small nondescript village, down west of Siliguri in West Bengal, lie the roots of a movement which redefined the peasant’s revolution for not only India but the world. The Maoist Movement of South Asia which began with a small plot of land in the tiny village of Naxalbari [Naksal-bari]. From the peasants of West Bengal to the people of Nepal, the revolutionaries of Bangladesh to the terrorists of Myanmar; the far-reaching consequences of one remote village in 1967 never cease to astound.
Maoism in itself is a sobriquet for Mao Zedong [Tse-Tung] Thought, a curious amalgamation of Marxist-Leninism with the rich and predominantly agricultural culture of the Asiatic region. A form of communism, but only just (for between Marxists and Maoists there exists a chasm of difference), Maoism is a theory of communism which advocates for a revolution by the peasantry than the proletariat (which is considered to be a higher economic class as per Marxist/Trotskyist classification). Key traits of Maoism include the people’s dictatorship and continuous revolution: although similar to Marxist-Leninist ideology, their framework and implementation were often greatly diverse.
However, despite its dramatic origins and far more dramatic consequences, the South Asian Maoist movement is splintered in a degenerating, almost farcical fashion. Holding true to the age-old aphorism, ‘United we stand, divided we fall’, the Maoist movement has been generally unsuccessful, with a visible schism between the Nepalese [Prachanda Path Communism] and Indian [Maoist Communism] comrades of the red star.
Essentially, Prachanda Path Communism (or as it is formally called Marxism-Leninism-Maoism-Prachanda Path) is a homegrown remedy to the Nepalese fight for peasant rights. While it was initially an adherent to the common notions of Maoist ideology albeit with cultural deviations, it soon shifted to a more centric viewpoint, condemning the very ideals it incited its populace in a sort of welcomed hypocrisy. Primarily, the current NCP [Nepalese Communist Party], the successor to the UCPN(M) [Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist)], is known for its denunciation of the policy of left-wing extremism, or continuous revolution. Secondarily, it has been criticized for revisionist policy. Of course, we must note that, being the only Maoist political party to have formed the government in a sovereign representative democratic republic, certain concessions need to be made. However, many political analysts and ideologues even within the party feel that the party’s stand is much too soft in comparison to the revolution’s undertones.
Therein lies the difference. The Indian Maoists, who have bandied under their common hatred for the bourgeois and their agents (who apparently run the Indian government), are an incongruous lot in themselves. However, upon the rudimentary principles of Maoism – the dethroning of the bourgeois, the creation of a people's dictatorship and even to an extent the continuous revolution – the 3 parties which merged to form the CPI(Maoist) [Communist Party of India (Maoist)] are in complete unison and concurrence.
The Indian Maoists are more commonly referred to by the label of Naxals or Naxalites (regarding their origins in the village of Naxalbari [Naksal-bari]) by the Press. Unlike their Nepalese counterparts, the CPI(Maoist) remains to this day (ever since 2009, and prior that banned in several states) a banned organisation under the UAPA [Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967]. The Naxalites have not gained pan-India traction and remain truly active in only certain states such as Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Odisha, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, collectively regarded as the Red Corridor.
The Indian Maoists currently fight a guerrilla war, which is controversial perverse to known human rights standards with its sometimes outrageous tactics. However, despite these allegations, the Maoists may be credited with bringing about protests and change to the livelihood and living standards of the rural poor. They have revolutionized healthcare in front inaccessible to the government, and have run successful collectives as well.
The Nepalese and Indian Maoists have a third major revolutionary compatriot in the form of the CPB(MLM) [Bhutan Communist Party (Marxist-Leninist-Maoist)] in Bhutan. Although of relatively smaller stature in comparison to Nepal and India, it is estimated to have around 600-1000 cadres. They are alleged to be trained in the arts of guerrilla warfare by groups of North-eastern Indian Naxals. However, the ideological inspiration of the CPB (MLM) is the NCP, most probably due to its homegrown methods and its success in forming the government.
Of all of South Asia, perhaps the most secretive movement of significance is found in Bangladesh. Led by many Maoist parties such as the PBCP [Purba Banglar Communist Party – Marksbadi-Leninbadi], PBSP [Purba Bangala Sarbahara Party], BSD(ML) [Bangladesher Samyabadi Dal (Marksbadi-Leninbadi)] and PBSP (MBRM) [Purba Banglar Sarbahara Party (Maoist Bolshevik Reorganization Movement). Here, like in many places, the Maoist movement is underground and is designated as a terrorist organisation. There hasn't been much headway in the Bangladeshi Maoist movement.
In other regions across South Asia, such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, the Maoist movement has completely missed the bus, misaligned with the people's sentiments. Additionally, the far stronger role of the government and religious culture has curbed internal revolutionary tendencies. While parties such as the Ceylon Communist Party and the Communist (Maoist) Party of Afghanistan exist, they have never been conspicuous or considerable as a problem or movement for their respective governments and people to care.
In 2001, the various Maoist parties of South Asia, led by the (now) NCP, formed the CCOMPOSA [Coordination Committee of Marxist Parties and Organisations of South Asia]. The CCOMPOSA aimed to deepen and consolidate the splintered Maoist movement while preventing the various factions in it from moving in myriad directions. However, despite these resolutions, the Nepalese-Indian schism remains a thorn in the side of the South Asian Maoist movement.
The Maoist movement has, for far too long, been inconvenienced by the misdirection and the propaganda on the part of South Asian and other governments. While it is hopeless to deny that the violent tactics of the Maoists are extrinsically wrong, there must be an effort on the part of authority and establishment to understand the movement. As Fred Hampton once said, "You can kill the revolutionary but you can never kill the revolution." For every man killed by the army, another two will rise in resentment.
It is said that when dictatorship becomes a fact, revolution becomes a right. South Asia faces the need for dire change. If the nations don't bring it themselves, it will be brought upon them. As the Red star shines bright with every passing day, the day of Reckoning will dawn upon South Asia. It's only a matter of when.
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