Introduction

Capitalism can expand in three ways: by appropriating absolute and relative surplus values and deploying the surplus in the circuits of capital accumulation, by appropriating differential rents and ground rent, and through the so-called primitive accumulation of capital, which operates outside the circuits of capital. In the classical political economy, primitive accumulation of capital explains the origin of capitalism. Most of India’s natural resources, such as minerals, coal, forests, and water, are in the Fifth Schedule Areas in central India. The imperative to open new territories to the mining companies has superseded the legal provisions and executive interventions to expand democracy. The aim is to understand how power got structured, how politics was practised in the zone of primitive accumulation, and how the capitalist transformation had exposed the limits of this politics. The chapter also presents an overview on the key concepts discussed in this book.