Public Safety Bill to curb Urban Naxalism

 

The issue of urban Naxalites infiltrating the Varkari pilgrims who were going to Pandharpur to have darshan of Shri Vitthal, the revered deity of Maharashtra, has recently come to the fore. Warkari organisations had also warned of this. Seeing the large scale of the activities of urban Naxalites, the Mahayuti government has prepared the Maharashtra Public Safety Bill against urban Naxalism.

The seriousness of the activities of urban Naxalites has not yet been revealed even to the educated public. The main objective of urban Naxalism is to create dissatisfaction with the government, the institutions created by the Constitution, and the system.

Rumours that can hurt public sentiments are spread to create an atmosphere where this discontent will lead to violence. When these tactics fall short, the urban Naxalites do not hesitate to commit actual violence.

Urban Naxalites have set their sights on capturing the youth. Recall the violent incidents that took place in Koregaon-Bhima in Pune district a few years ago, when during a program organized to mark the 200th anniversary of the Koregaon battle, stones were suddenly pelted on the attendees. Those who started throwing stones had saffron flags in their hands. It is not known where this group, who had their faces covered, disappeared after throwing stones.

However, by throwing stones, they had worked to create conflict between two groups of society. The main work of urban Naxalism is to spread rumours and create discontent among the general public through that. The threat of urban Naxalism is greater than that of terrorists and extremists. Extremists kill Indian citizens through firing and bomb blasts.

Urban Naxalists, however, pit Indians against each other. The method of urban Naxalists is to incite conflict among Indians and thereby destabilize the government. When the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) was in power in Maharashtra and the country, action was taken against urban Naxalists. The then Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram had also commented in Parliament about the threat posed to the country by urban Naxalism. The term urban Naxalism was first used by Chidambaram.

In recent times, the Congress has changed its mind about urban Naxalites. Out of the 180 organizations that participated in the ‘Bharat Jodo’ Yatra launched by Congress crown prince Rahul Gandhi, 40 organizations were associated with urban Naxalites. While this yatra passed through the backward class settlements, the slogan ‘Constitution is in danger’ was propagated door-to-door.

These organizations have also widely propagated the idea in the minds of the tribals in remote areas that we are independent, we are the original owners of the forest area, the government should not be coming here and that the government should not carry out any development work. These organizations have also widely propagated the idea that in the minds of the tribals in remote areas, we are independent, we are the original owners of the forest area, the government should not come here, should not do development work. In 2012-13, the then Home Minister R.R. Patil had announced a list of 48 Naxalite organizations in the state.

During that time, the term frontal Naxalite organization, i.e. urban Naxalite organizations, came into use. The then Home Minister R.R. Patil had said in the Legislative Assembly that training camps for urban Naxalites were held in Pune. The Mahayuti government in the state held several meetings to exchange views on the Public Safety Bill. A huge number of 13 thousand suggestions were received on this bill. Considering all these suggestions, some amendments have also been made in the bill. Warkari organizations have also given evidence to the government that urban Naxalites had entered the Yatra heading towards Pandharpur.

Bandatatya Karadkar, a well-known figure of the Warkari organization, held a press conference and expressed concern about the involvement of urban Naxalites in the Yatra. The urban Naxalites aim to create misunderstandings among the naive and gullible Warkaris and spread rumours to turn the Ashadhi Yatra, which will be attended by lakhs, into a scene of violence. Some organizations are always working to spread rumours among large crowds and cause accidents and mishaps like stampedes.

The country is facing a bigger threat from these frontal Naxalite organizations than the Pakistan-backed extremists who are waging an open war against India. The Union Home Ministry has broken the backs of the organizations in the Naxalite area. That is why many Naxalite organizations had requested the government to stop the action against the Naxalite.

The work of creating misunderstandings among various sections of the society regarding the Public Safety Bill is being systematically done. Some forces are continuously spreading false information about this bill and spreading panic among the journalists as well. The Mahayuti government is making continuous efforts to clear these misunderstandings.

Urban Naxalites are carrying out activities by focusing on students, unemployed youth, underdeveloped sections of society, tribals, landless and poor farmers. Protests are organized by forming struggle committees and action committees for these sections of society. Urban Naxalite organizations are constantly working to create an atmosphere in which violence is committed during the protests and the police force is incited to open fire.

These organizations are doing a great job of inciting the youth against the government and government institutions through cultural programs, street plays, and social media. The Public Safety Bill has been prepared after a thorough study of the working methods of urban Naxalites. There is no doubt that the Public Safety Act will put a damper on these organizations that are creating internal unrest and endangering the Constitution.

 

(Article Pre-Published in Times of India Online – 07 July, 2025) 

Keshav Upadhye, Chief Spokesperson