Left Radical Politics in India

Communism continues to remain a meaningful alternative ideological discourse in India. Set in motion in the 1920s with the formation of the communist party of India, the communist movement manifested itself differently in different phases of India’s political history.

This book is about the left in India focusing on its rise, consolidation and relative decline in the present century. The author analyses the states of Kerala, West Bengal and Tripura and presents a number of case studies of communist movements. He argues that the political power of the left parties depends on the degree to which they have built organizational strength, political hegemony and a broad social base through legal and extra-parliamentary struggles. An in-depth study of socio-economic circumstances that remain critical in conceptualizing radical extremism, this book will be of interest to those studying Indian politics, South Asian history, development studies and global politics.