Maoist Insurgency and Terrorism in Post-economic Reform India: A Causal Explanation

The emergence and intensification of Left-wing extremism in post-1990s India can be attributed to the discrimination against the Dalit and tribal minority in the country. A small and radicalized section of these minority communities has resorted to violence against the Indian state due to their deprivation from public goods provisions over centuries. India’s post-1990s integration to the global economy and presence of weak democratic institutions have aggravated their sense of deprivation and provided the extremist section of the aggrieved community opportunities of mobilization.