Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun – this is not any general statement but a sentence that was written by Mao Tsetung, worldwide acclaimed revolutionary leader of China and also Chairman of PLA, himself and chanted by millions of Communist struggles all over the globe in subsequent decades. Well, if it is viewed from the other side of the table, it is one of the most violent instigation of terrorism. It was heard publicly for the first time in India during the late 60s and early 70s when the saga of Naxalbari uprising had taken the country’s youth and left-leaning intellectuals by storm. From then on the word Naxal, representing the chronicle of alternative left, was dominating the Indian political scenario to some extent. But of late there has been an exponential rise in the same as Naxal ideological influence has started to spread across the country by leaps and bounds, especially the rural and tribal belt. Is this a new form of terrorism in the name of class struggle social justice? If we look at the governmental views, Naxalism, which had its commencement as a people's movement, has now turned into an almost Rs 1500 crore organized extortion business in the form of 'levy'. Can this view be accepted? Well, differences of opinions do exist but if the statements of arrested women Naxal cadres are taken into account, everything is not right with this band of radicals or rebels. Incidents of sexual discrimination and harassment against the women, as per them, are getting more and more rampant in Naxal camps and all these indicate ideological flavors have ceased to exist. On the other hand, recent reports do confirm that senseless murders at the behest of Naxal or Maoist cadres are on the rise, not to speak of Naxal-affected districts of Bengal and others. It is getting more and more evident that Naxal leadership is desperate to have a grip on power even at the cost of commoners. If this is not terrorism, what is it then?
