Women's Rights in India: The Role of the Naxalite Movement

The Naxalite Maoist Movement of India is envisioned as the harbinger of a just socioeconomic order for oppressed and exploited people. However, it is its contribution to the upliftment of women that tests the movement's egalitarian character. Pamphlets distributed in several villages throughout Maoist infected areas on International Women's Day read, “No revolution without winning the class struggle. No freedom to women without revolution”. Nonetheless, as far as bringing institutional changes to the cause of women is concerned, Maoism has had little to offer. This article critically analyses the role of the Naxalites in ensuring the rights of women, particularly of those that are part of the movement. The analysis also questions the very premises of Naxalism as a self-styled movement of the poor, for the poor and by the poor.