JALANDHAR: Though fingers are being pointed at the presence of ultra-left activists and those linked to Naxalite elements at the farmers’ protest venues, this is nothing new for Punjab. The state has had its tryst with Naxalite activism as early as 1967.
What’s more, the left movement in Punjab is close to a century old with mainstream left parties enjoying considerable space in electoral politics at one point, only to see a fast erosion of their base.
The Naxalite movement was crushed in Punjab with the elimination of 85 ultraleft activists, including a freedom fighter turned Naxalite, Baba Bujha Singh.
Some of those youths who survived when Punjab government crushed the movement later rose to prominence in activism, journalism, and literary fields.