Maoists take on Mamata for tying up with the Cong
Snigdhendu Bhattacharya
Kolkata, March 29—When the CPI(M) has launched state-wide campaign against the Trinamool Congress alleging that it has liaison with the Maoists, the red militants meanwhile have criticised the firebrand Opposition leader of Bengal, once again, this time for tying up with the Congress for the upcoming general elections.
In a recent video release by the underground militant party, Kishanji, the second man in the CPI(Maoist ) politburo and one of ‘most wanted’ persons the Indian state is searching for, criticised Mamata Banerjee for having no credibility and consistency at all.
“The other day Mamata Banerjee was accusing the Congress of being the B-team of CPI(M) and now she the made them into the B-team of Trinamool Congress. This is the politics of the vote m mongers,” Kishanji said in that video release from some undisclosed location, keeping his face opposite to the camera.
This is, however, not the first time when the red militants have come to openly criticise Mamata Banerjee after they worked together in Nandigram to keep the “CPI(M) harmads,” at bay. Earlier, in their party mouthpiece, Biplabi Yug, the Maoists had made remarks such as Mamata Banerjee would be the first person to ban the Maoists once she is in the power and dared her to make adverse comments against the Maoists again and then hold rallied at Nandigram.
Sources in both the parties say that it was during the last phase of the battle of Nandigram when differences between the two parties surfaces again and they started criticising each other. It all started when the local Trinamool had opposed to a programme that Matangini Mohila Samiti, a Maoism-influenced women’s body that played an important role in mobilising women to protect their land, had planned to hold independently.
With the rift widened, the Trinamool supremo, from a party gathering at Nandigram, alleged that the CPI(M) had helped the Maoists flee from Nandigram and demanded that the state government bans the Maoists, the Maoists in reply asked Mamata Banerjee to stop making loser comments.
In the recent video release( a copy of which is in possession of HT), Kishanji along with party Orissa chief Sabyasachi Panda, said that their main enemy in state of Bengal is ‘social fascist’ CPI(M), they also stressed that the Trinamool Congress is no alternative to them. They reaffirmed that they were behind the resistance struggle at Nandigram and would stand by struggling people everywhere like they are doing at Lalgarh at present.
These comments comes at a time when the CPI(M) is regularly accusing the Trinamool Congress for joining hands with the Maoists. “Those who are Trinamool cadres in day hours, turn Maoist workers when the sun sets,” CPI(M) state committee member and west Midnapore district secretary Deepak Sarkar commented. They had also given a clarion call to protect the ideas of Maoism from the Maoists. The Trinamool, on the other hand, has also launched a campaign against the CPI(M) “for giving birth to the Maoists.”
Now, with that video release from some undisclosed location, the militants has again made it clear that they are not seeing much difference between the CPI(M) and the Trinamool Congress.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
‘We support Islamic terrorism’
‘We support Islamic terrorism’
Snigdhendu Bhattacharya, Hindustan Times
Email Author
June 09, 2009
First Published: 23:54 IST(9/6/2009)
Last Updated: 23:56 IST(9/6/2009)
He is West Bengal’s most wanted man and one of India’s most dreaded outlaws. Koteswar Rao, better known to his cadres as Kishanji, is the deputy leader of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), the underground party of Naxalites.
After much effort, he agreed to meet HT’s Snigdhendu Bhattacharya deep in the jungles of West Bengal’s West Midnapore district.
Short, shabbily dressed, late-50-ish and surprisingly mild and polite, Kishanji spoke animatedly for three hours in highly accented Bengali about his revolutionary dreams, Islamic terror and the state of his “movement”. Excerpts:
What’s the future of the so-called Indian revolution you are spearheading?
We have a considerable mass base in eight or nine states. Moreover, the capitalist economy is going through a crisis all over the world, and sooner or later, India will suffer the same fate as the West. So, the conditions are quite ripe for a revolution.
You had earlier supported Islamic militancy. Do you still do so after the Mumbai attacks?
We do not support the way they attacked the Victoria station (Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, or CST), where most of the victims were Muslims. At the same time, we feel that the Islamic upsurge should not be opposed as it is basically anti-US and anti-imperialist in nature. We, therefore, want it to grow.
Please tell us about the attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee (in November 2008).
I personally ordered the attack on the chief minister. We had to lay one kilometer of cables through the fields. However, during inspection, we found that mice had chewed it up at several places. So, we had to repair it.
How is your party faring in states like Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal and Maharastra?
Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Orissa will be the new storm centres in Indian politics. We have our strongest base in Chhattisgarh – particularly in Old Bastar, which stretches across five districts—and it’s totally in our control now. Our militia in the state is more than one-lakh strong.
We have the wherewithal to put up teams of 400-500 fighters, encircle hundreds of police and para-military troops, and wipe out them. We have also taken up development projects. Then, we are gaining strength in the other states you mentioned.
But you have almost no presence in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and many other major states. How then can you achieve your ambition of wresting power in Delhi?
We will have to concentrate on building our base in these states. In UP, especially, we need to concentrate on the Muslim population and the trade union sector. Punjab has very positive conditions (for a Maoist revolution) and also a history of Left movements. So, I’m hopeful of expanding our base there.
Your party suffered a major setback in Andhra Pradesh. What are you doing about it?
It’s true that we faced a major setback in Andhra Pradesh (when the police drove the Naxalites out of their former strongholds across the state). But we will definitely recover because most of our leadership is alive and safe in our Dandakaranya camps. Our mass base, built up over 30 years, is still intact. But in a war, there will always be ups and downs.
Snigdhendu Bhattacharya, Hindustan Times
Email Author
June 09, 2009
First Published: 23:54 IST(9/6/2009)
Last Updated: 23:56 IST(9/6/2009)
He is West Bengal’s most wanted man and one of India’s most dreaded outlaws. Koteswar Rao, better known to his cadres as Kishanji, is the deputy leader of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), the underground party of Naxalites.
After much effort, he agreed to meet HT’s Snigdhendu Bhattacharya deep in the jungles of West Bengal’s West Midnapore district.
Short, shabbily dressed, late-50-ish and surprisingly mild and polite, Kishanji spoke animatedly for three hours in highly accented Bengali about his revolutionary dreams, Islamic terror and the state of his “movement”. Excerpts:
What’s the future of the so-called Indian revolution you are spearheading?
We have a considerable mass base in eight or nine states. Moreover, the capitalist economy is going through a crisis all over the world, and sooner or later, India will suffer the same fate as the West. So, the conditions are quite ripe for a revolution.
You had earlier supported Islamic militancy. Do you still do so after the Mumbai attacks?
We do not support the way they attacked the Victoria station (Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, or CST), where most of the victims were Muslims. At the same time, we feel that the Islamic upsurge should not be opposed as it is basically anti-US and anti-imperialist in nature. We, therefore, want it to grow.
Please tell us about the attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee (in November 2008).
I personally ordered the attack on the chief minister. We had to lay one kilometer of cables through the fields. However, during inspection, we found that mice had chewed it up at several places. So, we had to repair it.
How is your party faring in states like Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal and Maharastra?
Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Orissa will be the new storm centres in Indian politics. We have our strongest base in Chhattisgarh – particularly in Old Bastar, which stretches across five districts—and it’s totally in our control now. Our militia in the state is more than one-lakh strong.
We have the wherewithal to put up teams of 400-500 fighters, encircle hundreds of police and para-military troops, and wipe out them. We have also taken up development projects. Then, we are gaining strength in the other states you mentioned.
But you have almost no presence in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and many other major states. How then can you achieve your ambition of wresting power in Delhi?
We will have to concentrate on building our base in these states. In UP, especially, we need to concentrate on the Muslim population and the trade union sector. Punjab has very positive conditions (for a Maoist revolution) and also a history of Left movements. So, I’m hopeful of expanding our base there.
Your party suffered a major setback in Andhra Pradesh. What are you doing about it?
It’s true that we faced a major setback in Andhra Pradesh (when the police drove the Naxalites out of their former strongholds across the state). But we will definitely recover because most of our leadership is alive and safe in our Dandakaranya camps. Our mass base, built up over 30 years, is still intact. But in a war, there will always be ups and downs.
Maoist leader urges for withdrawl of forces from Lalgarh
Maoist leader urges for withdrawl of forces from Lalgarh
Snigdhendu Bhattacharya , Hindustan Times
Email Author
Kolkata, October 15, 2009
First Published: 20:18 IST(15/10/2009)
Last Updated: 20:21 IST(15/10/2009)
Maoist leader Koteshwar Rao alias Kishanji has telephoned the leaders of Communist Part of India (CPI), Forward Bloc (FB) and Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) urging them to demand withdrawal of combined forces from Lalgarh, the Maoist hotbed in western Bengal.
The 51-year old politburo member of the banned Communist Part of India (Maoist) recently called CPI general secretary Ardhendu Bhushan Bardhan, 83 and RSP leader and Bengal public works department minister Kshiti Goswami seeking their support to withdraw forces from the troubled zone about 200 kms to the west of Kolkata.
“I spoke with him for about two minutes. He argued with me and said we should stand by their demand of withdrawing the combined forces from areas where they have been influential. I directly told him that we do not agree with their politics,” Bardhan told HT on Thursday.
“Killings and talks cannot go on simultaneously,” Goswami told HT after admitting that the Maoist leader had indeed called him. The minister, however, is not in favour of withdrawing the Centre-State joint focres right now.
“He had telephoned me and urged me to raise my voice against the combined force’s operation in Lalgarh. But I told him that I was none to personally comment on such issues,” Goswami said.
The RSP leader in his mid sixties had been vocal in his opposition to the slapping of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act against leaders of the Lalgarh movement in particular and in Bengal in general.
According to Kishanji, he had called these leaders in the past one month.
The Maoist leader also claimed to have spoken to Ashoke Ghosh the 84-year old Bengal state secretary of FB.
Though Ghosh could not be contacted, Kishanji said he called Ghosh as the FB didn’t treat Maoists as “class enemies and has mentioned it in their documents.” “Therefore, why should we have any problem in seeking their support for a peoples’ movement,” asked Kishanji.
“There can be issue-based understandings with any party which stand by people’s cause. We had sent almost one lakh supporters in a rally organised in Bastar in 2006 by the CPI against the Salwa Judum because it was a progressive stand by the CPI,” revealed Kishanji.
The Maoist leader had also called some Jharkhand party leaders of Bengal. But on Trinamool Congress his take was different.
“Though we welcome Mamata Banerjee’s latest statement that she demands immediate withdrawal of the combined forces, we never tried to get in touch with her. Trinamool leaders have been changing their initial pro-people stand since they joined the government in Delhi,” said Kishanji.
Incidentally, Kishanji had said he had telephoned Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. The 64-year old CPI(M) leader, however, called that claim “a lie”.
Snigdhendu Bhattacharya , Hindustan Times
Email Author
Kolkata, October 15, 2009
First Published: 20:18 IST(15/10/2009)
Last Updated: 20:21 IST(15/10/2009)
Maoist leader Koteshwar Rao alias Kishanji has telephoned the leaders of Communist Part of India (CPI), Forward Bloc (FB) and Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) urging them to demand withdrawal of combined forces from Lalgarh, the Maoist hotbed in western Bengal.
The 51-year old politburo member of the banned Communist Part of India (Maoist) recently called CPI general secretary Ardhendu Bhushan Bardhan, 83 and RSP leader and Bengal public works department minister Kshiti Goswami seeking their support to withdraw forces from the troubled zone about 200 kms to the west of Kolkata.
“I spoke with him for about two minutes. He argued with me and said we should stand by their demand of withdrawing the combined forces from areas where they have been influential. I directly told him that we do not agree with their politics,” Bardhan told HT on Thursday.
“Killings and talks cannot go on simultaneously,” Goswami told HT after admitting that the Maoist leader had indeed called him. The minister, however, is not in favour of withdrawing the Centre-State joint focres right now.
“He had telephoned me and urged me to raise my voice against the combined force’s operation in Lalgarh. But I told him that I was none to personally comment on such issues,” Goswami said.
The RSP leader in his mid sixties had been vocal in his opposition to the slapping of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act against leaders of the Lalgarh movement in particular and in Bengal in general.
According to Kishanji, he had called these leaders in the past one month.
The Maoist leader also claimed to have spoken to Ashoke Ghosh the 84-year old Bengal state secretary of FB.
Though Ghosh could not be contacted, Kishanji said he called Ghosh as the FB didn’t treat Maoists as “class enemies and has mentioned it in their documents.” “Therefore, why should we have any problem in seeking their support for a peoples’ movement,” asked Kishanji.
“There can be issue-based understandings with any party which stand by people’s cause. We had sent almost one lakh supporters in a rally organised in Bastar in 2006 by the CPI against the Salwa Judum because it was a progressive stand by the CPI,” revealed Kishanji.
The Maoist leader had also called some Jharkhand party leaders of Bengal. But on Trinamool Congress his take was different.
“Though we welcome Mamata Banerjee’s latest statement that she demands immediate withdrawal of the combined forces, we never tried to get in touch with her. Trinamool leaders have been changing their initial pro-people stand since they joined the government in Delhi,” said Kishanji.
Incidentally, Kishanji had said he had telephoned Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. The 64-year old CPI(M) leader, however, called that claim “a lie”.
Naxalites look to CPM allies for help d: 01:23
Naxalites look to CPM allies for help
Snigdhendu Bhattacharya, Hindustan Times
Email Author
Kolkata, October 16, 2009
First Published: 01:23 IST(16/10/2009)
Last Updated: 01:24 IST(16/10/2009)
Maoists are trying to mobilise support from Left Front allies in West Bengal for the withdrawal of the combined forces from Lalgarh.
Koteshwar Rao alias Kishanji (51), Politburo member of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), said he had spoken to Front partners Communist Party of India, Forward Bloc and Revolutionary Socialist party of India in the last one month.
In June 18, 2009, a combined Centre-state force launched a massive operation against the Maoists in Lalgarh, about 200 km west of Kolkata.
Earlier, the Maoists claimed to have ‘liberated’ a large swathe of land, including Lalgarh, where the state government’s writ no longer ran.
Kishanji also said he had called Bengal chief minister and Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.
But although his allies confirmed that they indeed were contacted, Bhattacharjee said Kishanji’s claim was “a lie”.
CPI general secretary Ardhendu Bhushan Bardhan, 83, told Hindustan Times on Thursday: “I spoke to him (Kishanji) for about two minutes. He argued we should stand by the demand for withdrawal of forces. I told him that we do not agree with their politics.”
RSP leader and Public Works Department Minister Kshiti Goswami, who also got a call from Kishanji, said: “Killings and talks cannot go on simultaneously.” Goswami made it clear that he was not in favour of immediate withdrawal of forces.
FB leader Ashoke Ghosh (84) whom Kishanji also claimed to have called, could not be contacted. Kishanji said he called Ghosh as the FB didn’t treat Maoists as “class enemies and has mentioned it in their documents.”
“There can be issue-based understandings with any party which stand by people’s cause,” Kishanji said.
But on Trinamool Congress, his take was different. “We welcome Mamata Banerjee’s latest statement, demanding immediate withdrawal of the combined forces, we never tried to get in touch with her.”
He added: “Trinamool leaders have been changing their initial pro-people stand since they joined the government in Delhi.”
Snigdhendu Bhattacharya, Hindustan Times
Email Author
Kolkata, October 16, 2009
First Published: 01:23 IST(16/10/2009)
Last Updated: 01:24 IST(16/10/2009)
Maoists are trying to mobilise support from Left Front allies in West Bengal for the withdrawal of the combined forces from Lalgarh.
Koteshwar Rao alias Kishanji (51), Politburo member of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), said he had spoken to Front partners Communist Party of India, Forward Bloc and Revolutionary Socialist party of India in the last one month.
In June 18, 2009, a combined Centre-state force launched a massive operation against the Maoists in Lalgarh, about 200 km west of Kolkata.
Earlier, the Maoists claimed to have ‘liberated’ a large swathe of land, including Lalgarh, where the state government’s writ no longer ran.
Kishanji also said he had called Bengal chief minister and Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.
But although his allies confirmed that they indeed were contacted, Bhattacharjee said Kishanji’s claim was “a lie”.
CPI general secretary Ardhendu Bhushan Bardhan, 83, told Hindustan Times on Thursday: “I spoke to him (Kishanji) for about two minutes. He argued we should stand by the demand for withdrawal of forces. I told him that we do not agree with their politics.”
RSP leader and Public Works Department Minister Kshiti Goswami, who also got a call from Kishanji, said: “Killings and talks cannot go on simultaneously.” Goswami made it clear that he was not in favour of immediate withdrawal of forces.
FB leader Ashoke Ghosh (84) whom Kishanji also claimed to have called, could not be contacted. Kishanji said he called Ghosh as the FB didn’t treat Maoists as “class enemies and has mentioned it in their documents.”
“There can be issue-based understandings with any party which stand by people’s cause,” Kishanji said.
But on Trinamool Congress, his take was different. “We welcome Mamata Banerjee’s latest statement, demanding immediate withdrawal of the combined forces, we never tried to get in touch with her.”
He added: “Trinamool leaders have been changing their initial pro-people stand since they joined the government in Delhi.”
CPI Maoist in no mood to give up armed struggle
CPI Maoist in no mood to give up armed struggle
Snigdhendu Bhattacharya, Hindustan Times
Email Author
Kolkata, October 08, 2009
First Published: 02:19 IST(8/10/2009)
Last Updated: 02:22 IST(8/10/2009)
The CPI Maoist is in no mood to give up their armed struggle.
Even though the Union Home Ministry appealed to the Maoist to give up violence and arms for the sake of peaceful talks in solving an upcoming crisis of a severe battle, the banned communist outfit said in a press statement issued to HT that they are turning down union home minister’s appeal.
Reacting to union home minister P Chidambaram’s call that the Maoist should give up violence to initiate any talk, CPI Maoist Koteswara Rao alias Kishanji told HT, “The proposal of talks is nothing but a high drama prepared and directed by Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh and Pranab Mukherjee. They did it on being advised by the CIA and the FBI.”
The CPI Maoist however said that they are agreed to talks only if three of their basic demands are met – withdrawal of all central and state police from Maoist infested areas, unconditional release of all ‘political prisoners’ and scrapping of all world bank proposed projects.
According to the CPI Maoist politburo member the union government of has already finalized an offensive on the Maoist led ‘peoples movement’ in India. “There will be some losses on our sides but before that people of this revolutionary movement will certainly retaliate,” said Kishanji in a CPI Maoist press statement issued late on Wednesday night.
This statement shows that the banned ultra left unit is in no mood to bring any curb on their violent movements taking place in as many as nine states in the country. While Chidambaram’s statement came following the murder of an intelligence officer in Jharkhand the CPI Maoist said, “The daydream of P Chidambaram to bombard our areas particularly in Chattisgarh will be boomeranged.”
The CPI Maoist also anticipates that the center will definitely give its nod to the Indian Air Force’s plea that the IAF fighters will be given freehand in carrying out air raids in Maoist infested areas, specially Chattisgarh.
All plans of carrying out a total offensive on the ongoing peoples movement, led by the Maoist, in India has been finalized. “It is clear that the US wants to focus on Maoist growth in India and that the US will definitely directly involve in the battle even though the Maoist insurgency is regarded to be an internal problem,” the CPI Maoist press statement said.
Snigdhendu Bhattacharya, Hindustan Times
Email Author
Kolkata, October 08, 2009
First Published: 02:19 IST(8/10/2009)
Last Updated: 02:22 IST(8/10/2009)
The CPI Maoist is in no mood to give up their armed struggle.
Even though the Union Home Ministry appealed to the Maoist to give up violence and arms for the sake of peaceful talks in solving an upcoming crisis of a severe battle, the banned communist outfit said in a press statement issued to HT that they are turning down union home minister’s appeal.
Reacting to union home minister P Chidambaram’s call that the Maoist should give up violence to initiate any talk, CPI Maoist Koteswara Rao alias Kishanji told HT, “The proposal of talks is nothing but a high drama prepared and directed by Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh and Pranab Mukherjee. They did it on being advised by the CIA and the FBI.”
The CPI Maoist however said that they are agreed to talks only if three of their basic demands are met – withdrawal of all central and state police from Maoist infested areas, unconditional release of all ‘political prisoners’ and scrapping of all world bank proposed projects.
According to the CPI Maoist politburo member the union government of has already finalized an offensive on the Maoist led ‘peoples movement’ in India. “There will be some losses on our sides but before that people of this revolutionary movement will certainly retaliate,” said Kishanji in a CPI Maoist press statement issued late on Wednesday night.
This statement shows that the banned ultra left unit is in no mood to bring any curb on their violent movements taking place in as many as nine states in the country. While Chidambaram’s statement came following the murder of an intelligence officer in Jharkhand the CPI Maoist said, “The daydream of P Chidambaram to bombard our areas particularly in Chattisgarh will be boomeranged.”
The CPI Maoist also anticipates that the center will definitely give its nod to the Indian Air Force’s plea that the IAF fighters will be given freehand in carrying out air raids in Maoist infested areas, specially Chattisgarh.
All plans of carrying out a total offensive on the ongoing peoples movement, led by the Maoist, in India has been finalized. “It is clear that the US wants to focus on Maoist growth in India and that the US will definitely directly involve in the battle even though the Maoist insurgency is regarded to be an internal problem,” the CPI Maoist press statement said.
Propaganda gets them arrested, Maoists still need world connect
Propaganda gets them arrested, Maoists still need world connect
Snigdhendu Bhattacharya , Hindustan Times
Email Author
Kolkata, September 27, 2009
First Published: 00:49 IST(27/9/2009)
Last Updated: 00:54 IST(27/9/2009)
The Maoists’ strategy of using the media in their propaganda war against the government seems to be backfiring, at least in some cases.
The Communist Party of India (Maoist) Politburo member Kobad Ghandy also got himself arrested in Delhi on Monday by extensively using the Internet — easily accessible and traceable — to connect with his comrades as well as the media.
Just before his arrest, Ghandy, however, warned his comrades against communicating with the media too often. He somehow sensed the danger.
But Koteshwar Rao, alias Kishanji, 51, second-in-command in the CPI (Maoist), said the party allowed some Politburo members to use mobile phones and Internet, since they worked as spokespersons.
He argued, “He (Ghandy) was not using the Internet for the first time the day he was traced. Over the last 10 years he has remained untraced. There must have been some mistake on the day.”
In June 2008, the CPI (Maoist) West Bengal state secretary Himadri Sen Roy, alias Somen, 45, was arrested after the police managed to decode his instructions to an associate over the telephone.
Despite the arrest of Ghandy and Somen, Kishanji told HT , “Use of these technologies can’t be stopped totally, as they help us keep in touch with the world.”
Although Kishanji himself has been frequently using mobile phones to interact with the media, he is confident that there are hardly any chances for his arrest from Lalgarh, since the local people will protect him.
Mahato’s arrest could have an impact on the Lalgarh movement, which peaked in June this year before having been contained somehow by a combined force of the state police and the Central Reserve Police Force.
Snigdhendu Bhattacharya , Hindustan Times
Email Author
Kolkata, September 27, 2009
First Published: 00:49 IST(27/9/2009)
Last Updated: 00:54 IST(27/9/2009)
The Maoists’ strategy of using the media in their propaganda war against the government seems to be backfiring, at least in some cases.
Chhatradhar Mahato, leader of the Maoist-backed Peoples’ Committee Against Police Atrocities that spearheaded the movement at Lalgarh in West Midnapore district, about 130 km southwest of Kolkata, walked into an elaborate trap laid by the police on Saturday.
The Communist Party of India (Maoist) Politburo member Kobad Ghandy also got himself arrested in Delhi on Monday by extensively using the Internet — easily accessible and traceable — to connect with his comrades as well as the media.
Just before his arrest, Ghandy, however, warned his comrades against communicating with the media too often. He somehow sensed the danger.
But Koteshwar Rao, alias Kishanji, 51, second-in-command in the CPI (Maoist), said the party allowed some Politburo members to use mobile phones and Internet, since they worked as spokespersons.
He argued, “He (Ghandy) was not using the Internet for the first time the day he was traced. Over the last 10 years he has remained untraced. There must have been some mistake on the day.”
In June 2008, the CPI (Maoist) West Bengal state secretary Himadri Sen Roy, alias Somen, 45, was arrested after the police managed to decode his instructions to an associate over the telephone.
Despite the arrest of Ghandy and Somen, Kishanji told HT , “Use of these technologies can’t be stopped totally, as they help us keep in touch with the world.”
Although Kishanji himself has been frequently using mobile phones to interact with the media, he is confident that there are hardly any chances for his arrest from Lalgarh, since the local people will protect him.
Mahato’s arrest could have an impact on the Lalgarh movement, which peaked in June this year before having been contained somehow by a combined force of the state police and the Central Reserve Police Force.
Weapons pile up, villagers flee I
Weapons pile up, villagers flee
Snigdhendu Bhattacharya and Soumik Mandal, Hindustan Times
Inayatpur, September 22, 2009
First Published: 23:33 IST(22/9/2009)
Last Updated: 16:39 IST(9/10/2009)
Thousands of villagers are fleeing West Midnapore district’s Inayatpur village, following the Marxist-Maoist gun battle of Monday night.
According to unconfirmed reports, around 3,000 people have already left Inayatpur and adjacent villages in the Maoist stronghold of Lalgarh.
Contrary to initial reports of 10 deaths, both the state administration and the Communist Party of India (Maoist) Politburo member Koteshwar Rao, alias Kishanji, confirmed that nobody was killed in the fight.
About 20 km east of Lalgarh and 250 km west of Kolkata, Inayatpur is a small village with a population of around 2,000 and is known to be one of the last bastions of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in the region.
Trouble began when CPI(M) cadres shot at two women at Inayatpur. The immediate provocation for the attack, however, has not yet been known.
Kishanji said, “We had to retreat around 11 pm on Monday night because of heavy rains. But we would definitely try to ensure that the last of the CPI(M) cadres are driven out of the area.”
The gunfight left three CPI(M) activists and the two women, allegedly Maoist supporters, with bullet injuries.
On Tuesday morning, the two injured, Dulali Besra (28) and Shamburi Besra (40), were taken to the local hospital.
“Last night, I was looking for a shelter when a bullet hit me. But I had nowhere to go,” said Sambari while on her way to the Midnapore Medical College in the district headquarters, about 10 km away.
Although the Lalgarh area has been the centre of the combined anti-Naxal forces’ operations for more than three months now, villagers are scared.
“There is panic among the villagers. But I can’t specify how many villagers have already left. The combined force is trying to restore normalcy,” said Narayan Swarup Nigam, district magistrate, West Midnapore.
“Both the parties have stockpiled arms and ammunition. This fight is not going to end soon,” said 65-year-old Ramcharan Pahari.
Left cries foul
The CPI(M) on Tuesday said the attacks on its party workers and offices by the Maoists in Bengal were being “patronised” by some cabinet ministers.
“The Prime Minister says the greatest danger to our internal security is Maoist violence, but you have cabinet ministers who are patronising and protecting Maoists,” senior party leader Sitaram Yechury said, hinting at the role of the Trinamool Congress, without naming the party.
Snigdhendu Bhattacharya and Soumik Mandal, Hindustan Times
Inayatpur, September 22, 2009
First Published: 23:33 IST(22/9/2009)
Last Updated: 16:39 IST(9/10/2009)
Thousands of villagers are fleeing West Midnapore district’s Inayatpur village, following the Marxist-Maoist gun battle of Monday night.
According to unconfirmed reports, around 3,000 people have already left Inayatpur and adjacent villages in the Maoist stronghold of Lalgarh.
Contrary to initial reports of 10 deaths, both the state administration and the Communist Party of India (Maoist) Politburo member Koteshwar Rao, alias Kishanji, confirmed that nobody was killed in the fight.
About 20 km east of Lalgarh and 250 km west of Kolkata, Inayatpur is a small village with a population of around 2,000 and is known to be one of the last bastions of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in the region.
Trouble began when CPI(M) cadres shot at two women at Inayatpur. The immediate provocation for the attack, however, has not yet been known.
Kishanji said, “We had to retreat around 11 pm on Monday night because of heavy rains. But we would definitely try to ensure that the last of the CPI(M) cadres are driven out of the area.”
The gunfight left three CPI(M) activists and the two women, allegedly Maoist supporters, with bullet injuries.
On Tuesday morning, the two injured, Dulali Besra (28) and Shamburi Besra (40), were taken to the local hospital.
“Last night, I was looking for a shelter when a bullet hit me. But I had nowhere to go,” said Sambari while on her way to the Midnapore Medical College in the district headquarters, about 10 km away.
Although the Lalgarh area has been the centre of the combined anti-Naxal forces’ operations for more than three months now, villagers are scared.
“There is panic among the villagers. But I can’t specify how many villagers have already left. The combined force is trying to restore normalcy,” said Narayan Swarup Nigam, district magistrate, West Midnapore.
“Both the parties have stockpiled arms and ammunition. This fight is not going to end soon,” said 65-year-old Ramcharan Pahari.
Left cries foul
The CPI(M) on Tuesday said the attacks on its party workers and offices by the Maoists in Bengal were being “patronised” by some cabinet ministers.
“The Prime Minister says the greatest danger to our internal security is Maoist violence, but you have cabinet ministers who are patronising and protecting Maoists,” senior party leader Sitaram Yechury said, hinting at the role of the Trinamool Congress, without naming the party.
Maoists attack CPM office in Lalgarh, 10 feared dead
Maoists attack CPM office in Lalgarh, 10 feared dead
Snigdhendu Bhattacharya, Hindustan Times
Email Author
Kolkata, September 22, 2009
First Published: 02:20 IST(22/9/2009)
Last Updated: 02:22 IST(22/9/2009)
A severe gun-battle has been going on for more than six hours from Monday evening at Inayatpur village near Lalgarh, about 10 km from Midnapore town, about 250 km from Kolkata.
While there have been unconfirmed reports of at least 10 deaths, the administration said they were not in any position to comment on the casualties until the combined force of the state and central government reaches the spot and takes hold of the area. The Maoists also avoided commenting on casualties saying that they can confirm it only after the battle is over.
According to sources, the gun-battle started following the murder of two women villagers of Inayatpur who reportedly died in firing from CPI(M) cadres, who had allegedly stockpiled arms and ammunitions inside their Inayatpur party office for last one month. Following the news of the two women's death, thousands of local tribals gheraoed the party office from three sides in the afternoon and started firing at the CPI(M) party office.
"Our Peoples' Liberation Guerilla Army is also supporting the villagers," CPI(Maoist) politburo member Kishanji, 51, told HT on Monday night. He added, "We are giving the CPI(M) this last ultimatum to handover all their arms and ammunitions or we and the local tribals cannot be blamed for their deaths."
According to sources, though the combined force started for Inayatpur from different camps immediately after the news broke, they are yet to reach the spot till the last reports came because of blockades put up at different areas by the local tribal population. Different roads including the Midnapore-Dherua metal road has been dug up afresh and several other roads have been blocked by felling trees, local sources said.
"The combined force has marched towards the area. We cannot say anything more right now until they send us reports from the spot," Narayan Swarup Nigam, DM, East
Midnapore, 45, told HT. Manoj Verma, SP, West Midnapore, 40, said, "I cannot confirm any casualty right now. It would need time."
Snigdhendu Bhattacharya, Hindustan Times
Email Author
Kolkata, September 22, 2009
First Published: 02:20 IST(22/9/2009)
Last Updated: 02:22 IST(22/9/2009)
A severe gun-battle has been going on for more than six hours from Monday evening at Inayatpur village near Lalgarh, about 10 km from Midnapore town, about 250 km from Kolkata.
While there have been unconfirmed reports of at least 10 deaths, the administration said they were not in any position to comment on the casualties until the combined force of the state and central government reaches the spot and takes hold of the area. The Maoists also avoided commenting on casualties saying that they can confirm it only after the battle is over.
According to sources, the gun-battle started following the murder of two women villagers of Inayatpur who reportedly died in firing from CPI(M) cadres, who had allegedly stockpiled arms and ammunitions inside their Inayatpur party office for last one month. Following the news of the two women's death, thousands of local tribals gheraoed the party office from three sides in the afternoon and started firing at the CPI(M) party office.
"Our Peoples' Liberation Guerilla Army is also supporting the villagers," CPI(Maoist) politburo member Kishanji, 51, told HT on Monday night. He added, "We are giving the CPI(M) this last ultimatum to handover all their arms and ammunitions or we and the local tribals cannot be blamed for their deaths."
According to sources, though the combined force started for Inayatpur from different camps immediately after the news broke, they are yet to reach the spot till the last reports came because of blockades put up at different areas by the local tribal population. Different roads including the Midnapore-Dherua metal road has been dug up afresh and several other roads have been blocked by felling trees, local sources said.
"The combined force has marched towards the area. We cannot say anything more right now until they send us reports from the spot," Narayan Swarup Nigam, DM, East
Midnapore, 45, told HT. Manoj Verma, SP, West Midnapore, 40, said, "I cannot confirm any casualty right now. It would need time."
At present there are 1,700 central force personnel along with more than 2,000 cops of the state police deployed in and around Lalgarh. The state government has recently asked for 10 more companies of central forces to tackle fast growth of the Maoists.
But this incident again revealed how despite the presence of such huge force the Maoists are actually calling all the shots in the forest surrounding areas of West Midnapore district.
HT speaks to abducted OC Atindranath Dutta
HT speaks to abducted cop Atindranath Datta in Sankrail
Singdhendu Bhattacharya, Hindustan Times
Kolkata, October 22, 2009
First Published: 10:15 IST(22/10/2009)
Last Updated: 10:18 IST(22/10/2009)
"Both the government and the Maoists must not remain stubborn in their respective positions. They must be flexible and come to a dialogue for a proper solution,” said the tired voice of 34-year old Atindranath Datta abducted by Maoists in an audacious strike on Tuesday noon in western Bengal.
Hindustan Times was the first to speak to the officer in charge of Sankrail police station at two in the night on Wednesday.
“I am aware of the demand of both sides, but as a government servant I am unable to comment on them. All I want is that they should negotiate. But you can never be sure in such situations,” said Datta. Datta was surrounded my armed guerillas all the time.
“Please have patience,” Datta said for members of his family. He is supposed to have written a letter for his family that will be given to the media by the Maoists on Thursday.
Datta admitted to be under great anxiety, though not under physical stress.
“They have treated me well. They are sharing their food with me,” he said.
Datta is being given puffed rice as snacks. Meals consist of daal, vegetables and rice.
The abducted officer has no idea where he is or how far is he from Sankrail.
“I have seen only jungles after they took me away. But I haven’t seen any locals. Armed guerillas are surrounding me all the time,” he said.
But it was clear that he and Kishanji, the 51-year old politburo member of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) were at the same spot.
When this correspondent called Kishanji and asked for Datta, the Maoist leader handed over the phone to Datta a few minutes later. Kishanji claimed that Datta was at a place called Lakshmanpur, though he didn't clarify where it is.
Singdhendu Bhattacharya, Hindustan Times
Kolkata, October 22, 2009
First Published: 10:15 IST(22/10/2009)
Last Updated: 10:18 IST(22/10/2009)
"Both the government and the Maoists must not remain stubborn in their respective positions. They must be flexible and come to a dialogue for a proper solution,” said the tired voice of 34-year old Atindranath Datta abducted by Maoists in an audacious strike on Tuesday noon in western Bengal.
Hindustan Times was the first to speak to the officer in charge of Sankrail police station at two in the night on Wednesday.
“I am aware of the demand of both sides, but as a government servant I am unable to comment on them. All I want is that they should negotiate. But you can never be sure in such situations,” said Datta. Datta was surrounded my armed guerillas all the time.
“Please have patience,” Datta said for members of his family. He is supposed to have written a letter for his family that will be given to the media by the Maoists on Thursday.
Datta admitted to be under great anxiety, though not under physical stress.
“They have treated me well. They are sharing their food with me,” he said.
Datta is being given puffed rice as snacks. Meals consist of daal, vegetables and rice.
The abducted officer has no idea where he is or how far is he from Sankrail.
“I have seen only jungles after they took me away. But I haven’t seen any locals. Armed guerillas are surrounding me all the time,” he said.
But it was clear that he and Kishanji, the 51-year old politburo member of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) were at the same spot.
When this correspondent called Kishanji and asked for Datta, the Maoist leader handed over the phone to Datta a few minutes later. Kishanji claimed that Datta was at a place called Lakshmanpur, though he didn't clarify where it is.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
It's official : Peoples' Militia formed in Lalgarh
It’s official : Poeples’ Militia formed in Lalgarh
Snigdhendu Bhattacharya
mail to: snigdhendub@gmail.com
Kolkata, October 27—It’s only official now. Peoples’ Militia, armed village guarding force, has been formed in Lalgarh in West Midnapore district of West Bengal.
So long, the Peoples’ Militia had been formed in large parts of Chhattisgarh, and parts of Bihar, Orissa and Jharkhand. About one and half months ago HT had reported that the process of forming Peoples’ Militia, one of the integral part of a Maoist movement towards setting up “Base areas” and then turning them into“Liberated zones,” is on the way in Lalgarh and surrounding areas.
On Monday, the Peoples’ Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA), declared that they have formed the “Sidhu Kanhu Gana Militia to combatthe combined force of the state and central government who are workingin tandem with the CPI(M) goons to gag protesting voice.”
But in the case of no other states the Peoples’ Militia was formed so quickly, within one year of the beginning of a movement. The PCAPA was formed only in last November.
Talking to HT on Tuesday, Asit Mahato, 45, the newly-elected spokesperson of the PCAPA, said, “We have been forced to take up arms.We tried to fight the CPI(M) goons and well as their stooge policemen with our traditional arms bows and arrows. But now the way they are attacking us with sophisticated arms, we have no other option but taking to arms. From now on, we would build up our own armoury by snatching arms from the CPI(M) goons.”
Mahato, however, did not declare anything about the strength of their militia. Mahato said that they decided to form the militia, named after most popular tribal leaders Sidhu and Kanhu who led the Santhal rebellion against the British rules, after a rally by the PCAPA was attacked by the combined force and the CPI(M) goons on Monday evening.
“Thevillagers snatched 10 one-shutter guns from them and killed five goons. This is the beginning of making our armoury. Henceforth we would continue to snatch arms from the CPI(M) goons to increase thestrength of our armoury.”
This statement came five days after CPI(Maoist) politburo member and a member of their central military commission, Koteswar Rao aliasKishanji, 51, declared that they would distribute all the arms seized from the raid at Sankrail police station among the villagers. “We would not keep a single arm seized from Sankrail police station. Allthe arms would be given to the local villagers to protect themselves.Even the money we seized from the SBI branch would be given to them for procuring ammunitions,” Kishanji had told HT.
The PCAPA leaders, however, denied any knowledge whether the Maoists have already distributed those arms among the people. “We have no links with the Maoists. So, we can’t say what they did with those arms. But we can say that now we have 20 guns in our armoury. All of them have been seized from the CPI(M) goons,” PCAPA general secretary Sidhu Soren told HT.
Interestingly, Kishanji had admitted to HT about one and half month ago that a section of the operations have been outsourced to local villagers.
“The villagers are taking action without our help. That’s why we did not claim responsibility of about 25 actions among the last 60 actions against the CPI(M) goons, as those were executed by the villagers, not our Peoples’ Liberation Guerilla Army (PLGA),” the topMaoist leader had told HT that time.
The abduction of police constables Sabir Ali and Kanchan Gorai was also such an operation led by the locals, he had said. Kishanji had also said that they have about two lakh village militia in Chhattisgarh.
Talking to media persons four days ago, he had also vowed to “Liberate” Lalgarh. Now, after the PCAPA’s declaration, it is the most prominent signal in the recent times that the tribal outfit is merging with the Maoists and that they have gained significant strength. EOM
Snigdhendu Bhattacharya
mail to: snigdhendub@gmail.com
Kolkata, October 27—It’s only official now. Peoples’ Militia, armed village guarding force, has been formed in Lalgarh in West Midnapore district of West Bengal.
So long, the Peoples’ Militia had been formed in large parts of Chhattisgarh, and parts of Bihar, Orissa and Jharkhand. About one and half months ago HT had reported that the process of forming Peoples’ Militia, one of the integral part of a Maoist movement towards setting up “Base areas” and then turning them into“Liberated zones,” is on the way in Lalgarh and surrounding areas.
On Monday, the Peoples’ Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA), declared that they have formed the “Sidhu Kanhu Gana Militia to combatthe combined force of the state and central government who are workingin tandem with the CPI(M) goons to gag protesting voice.”
But in the case of no other states the Peoples’ Militia was formed so quickly, within one year of the beginning of a movement. The PCAPA was formed only in last November.
Talking to HT on Tuesday, Asit Mahato, 45, the newly-elected spokesperson of the PCAPA, said, “We have been forced to take up arms.We tried to fight the CPI(M) goons and well as their stooge policemen with our traditional arms bows and arrows. But now the way they are attacking us with sophisticated arms, we have no other option but taking to arms. From now on, we would build up our own armoury by snatching arms from the CPI(M) goons.”
Mahato, however, did not declare anything about the strength of their militia. Mahato said that they decided to form the militia, named after most popular tribal leaders Sidhu and Kanhu who led the Santhal rebellion against the British rules, after a rally by the PCAPA was attacked by the combined force and the CPI(M) goons on Monday evening.
“Thevillagers snatched 10 one-shutter guns from them and killed five goons. This is the beginning of making our armoury. Henceforth we would continue to snatch arms from the CPI(M) goons to increase thestrength of our armoury.”
This statement came five days after CPI(Maoist) politburo member and a member of their central military commission, Koteswar Rao aliasKishanji, 51, declared that they would distribute all the arms seized from the raid at Sankrail police station among the villagers. “We would not keep a single arm seized from Sankrail police station. Allthe arms would be given to the local villagers to protect themselves.Even the money we seized from the SBI branch would be given to them for procuring ammunitions,” Kishanji had told HT.
The PCAPA leaders, however, denied any knowledge whether the Maoists have already distributed those arms among the people. “We have no links with the Maoists. So, we can’t say what they did with those arms. But we can say that now we have 20 guns in our armoury. All of them have been seized from the CPI(M) goons,” PCAPA general secretary Sidhu Soren told HT.
Interestingly, Kishanji had admitted to HT about one and half month ago that a section of the operations have been outsourced to local villagers.
“The villagers are taking action without our help. That’s why we did not claim responsibility of about 25 actions among the last 60 actions against the CPI(M) goons, as those were executed by the villagers, not our Peoples’ Liberation Guerilla Army (PLGA),” the topMaoist leader had told HT that time.
The abduction of police constables Sabir Ali and Kanchan Gorai was also such an operation led by the locals, he had said. Kishanji had also said that they have about two lakh village militia in Chhattisgarh.
Talking to media persons four days ago, he had also vowed to “Liberate” Lalgarh. Now, after the PCAPA’s declaration, it is the most prominent signal in the recent times that the tribal outfit is merging with the Maoists and that they have gained significant strength. EOM
Settling in for a long and bloody fight
Settling in for a long and bloody fight
Snigdhendu Bhattacharya, Hindustan Times
Email Author
Lalgarh, October 31, 2009
First Published: 20:24 IST(31/10/2009)
Last Updated: 20:28 IST(31/10/2009)
On this scarred battlefront, it’s not an aberration to see a 17-year-old girl with a rifle on her shoulder. The thin, five-foot girl, who calls herself ‘Sita’, wants to avenge the death of her father that happened allegedly at the behest of CPI (Marxist) members. She says, “He was not a Maoist and yet the cops tortured him. I’m a Maoist and I will protect our village.” She joined the Peoples’ Liberation Guerrilla Army, an armed wing of the CPI (Maoist), six months ago.
This is how the people of Jangalmahal, a wooded area cutting through the West Bengal districts of Bankura, Purulia and West Midnapore with its epicentre at Lalgarh, are setting in for a protracted war.
Ask a villager here about the Maoists, and they will seem to have turned deaf or mute. Their ‘alienation’ from the state seems absolute. That’s why, even after the four-month presence of the combined forces here, not a single Maoist of any significance has been arrested; in the same time, 70 local people, allegedly owing allegiance to CPI(M) or the police, have been killed.
Last week, Lalgarh’s People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA) declared the formation of an armed unit, the Peoples’ Militia. Asit Mahato, the newly elected spokesperson of the PCAPA, says, “We’ve been forced to take up arms in place of bows and arrows… We will snatch arms from the CPI(M) goons and the joint forces at every opportunity and build up our armoury.”
Debabrata Bandopadhyay, a retired IAS officer who earlier submitted a report to the Planning Commission on the causes of the growing popularity of Naxals, says, “The fact that the number of Naxalites has increased with every increase in the police force proves that the use of force is futile. This is what has happened in Lalgarh.”
Snigdhendu Bhattacharya, Hindustan Times
Email Author
Lalgarh, October 31, 2009
First Published: 20:24 IST(31/10/2009)
Last Updated: 20:28 IST(31/10/2009)
On this scarred battlefront, it’s not an aberration to see a 17-year-old girl with a rifle on her shoulder. The thin, five-foot girl, who calls herself ‘Sita’, wants to avenge the death of her father that happened allegedly at the behest of CPI (Marxist) members. She says, “He was not a Maoist and yet the cops tortured him. I’m a Maoist and I will protect our village.” She joined the Peoples’ Liberation Guerrilla Army, an armed wing of the CPI (Maoist), six months ago.
This is how the people of Jangalmahal, a wooded area cutting through the West Bengal districts of Bankura, Purulia and West Midnapore with its epicentre at Lalgarh, are setting in for a protracted war.
Ask a villager here about the Maoists, and they will seem to have turned deaf or mute. Their ‘alienation’ from the state seems absolute. That’s why, even after the four-month presence of the combined forces here, not a single Maoist of any significance has been arrested; in the same time, 70 local people, allegedly owing allegiance to CPI(M) or the police, have been killed.
Last week, Lalgarh’s People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA) declared the formation of an armed unit, the Peoples’ Militia. Asit Mahato, the newly elected spokesperson of the PCAPA, says, “We’ve been forced to take up arms in place of bows and arrows… We will snatch arms from the CPI(M) goons and the joint forces at every opportunity and build up our armoury.”
Debabrata Bandopadhyay, a retired IAS officer who earlier submitted a report to the Planning Commission on the causes of the growing popularity of Naxals, says, “The fact that the number of Naxalites has increased with every increase in the police force proves that the use of force is futile. This is what has happened in Lalgarh.”
Maoists turn down PC appeal to halt violence
Maoists turn down PC appeal to halt violence
Snigdhendu Bhattacharya
Email Author
Kolkata, November 01, 2009
First Published: 02:13 IST(1/11/2009)
Last Updated: 02:18 IST(1/11/2009
The Communist Party of India (Maoist) have turned down Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram’s appeal to halt violence for facilitation of talks between the outlawed party and the state governments.
The CPI(Maoist) said violence never topped their agenda and it would never be.
Turning down Chidambaram’s appeal, CPI(Maoist) politburo member Koteswar Rao alias Kishanji said, “Now Mr Chidambaram is saying that he had never asked us to lay down arms but only asked us to halt violence. But please think again about who are behind the present situation in West Bengal, which you had earlier termed as a ‘killing field’,” the Maoist leader said in a statement issued to the media on Saturday night.
He added that the minister should enquire from Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee about the huge arms stocks of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the ruling party in Bengal.
“The chief minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, himself admitted in the Assembly that all political parties in West Bengal had stocks of arms. Now, tell us, whether their arms are spreading violence or peace?” the Maoist leader asked.
“You have been right in dismissing the CPI(M)’s allegation that the Trinamool Congress works in tandem with CPI(Maoist),” the Maoist leader told Chidambaram, adding, “But you had been completely wrong and it seemed like you tried to guard the CPI(M) when you said the CPI(M) was not active enough in tackling the Maoists’ growth.”
The Maoist leader demanded that mainstream political parties like the Congress, the CPI(M) and the Trinamool first give up violence. “You, Mr Chidambaram, should first quit the path of violence. We give you our words that violence is never on the top of the Maoists’ agenda and it would never be,” the banned party said in its statement.
The Maoist top gun also said that only “class struggle” could solve the present crisis of the Indian society, both inside and outside the forest areas. “The logic of leaders like Mr Chidambaram and Buddhababu will always differ from that of the revolutionary masses,” the underground leader told HT over phone from his hideout in Lalgarh, 250 km southwest from Kolkata.
Snigdhendu Bhattacharya
Email Author
Kolkata, November 01, 2009
First Published: 02:13 IST(1/11/2009)
Last Updated: 02:18 IST(1/11/2009
The Communist Party of India (Maoist) have turned down Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram’s appeal to halt violence for facilitation of talks between the outlawed party and the state governments.
The CPI(Maoist) said violence never topped their agenda and it would never be.
Turning down Chidambaram’s appeal, CPI(Maoist) politburo member Koteswar Rao alias Kishanji said, “Now Mr Chidambaram is saying that he had never asked us to lay down arms but only asked us to halt violence. But please think again about who are behind the present situation in West Bengal, which you had earlier termed as a ‘killing field’,” the Maoist leader said in a statement issued to the media on Saturday night.
He added that the minister should enquire from Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee about the huge arms stocks of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the ruling party in Bengal.
“The chief minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, himself admitted in the Assembly that all political parties in West Bengal had stocks of arms. Now, tell us, whether their arms are spreading violence or peace?” the Maoist leader asked.
“You have been right in dismissing the CPI(M)’s allegation that the Trinamool Congress works in tandem with CPI(Maoist),” the Maoist leader told Chidambaram, adding, “But you had been completely wrong and it seemed like you tried to guard the CPI(M) when you said the CPI(M) was not active enough in tackling the Maoists’ growth.”
The Maoist leader demanded that mainstream political parties like the Congress, the CPI(M) and the Trinamool first give up violence. “You, Mr Chidambaram, should first quit the path of violence. We give you our words that violence is never on the top of the Maoists’ agenda and it would never be,” the banned party said in its statement.
The Maoist top gun also said that only “class struggle” could solve the present crisis of the Indian society, both inside and outside the forest areas. “The logic of leaders like Mr Chidambaram and Buddhababu will always differ from that of the revolutionary masses,” the underground leader told HT over phone from his hideout in Lalgarh, 250 km southwest from Kolkata.
PC's statement is peoples' victory, claims Maoists
PC’s statement is peoples’ victory, claims Maoists
Snigdhendu Bhattacharyasnigdhendub@gmail.com
Kolkata: The war of words between the government and the rebel groupCommunist Party of India (Maoist) continues, as the rebel group,commenting on union home minister P Chidambaram’s Friday statementthat the “Operation Green Hunt” was actually an invention of the media.
“The way Chidambaram took an U-turn on Friday by saying that thecentral government never declared any war against the Maoists and thatthe Operation Green Hunt was only a media invention, it is clear thatthey have retreated,” CPI (Maoist) Politburo member Koteswar Rao aliasKishanji told HT on Saturday over telephone from his hideout inLalgarh.
The Maoist leader said that Chidambaram’s latest statement wasfollowing the understanding that the government would lose thisbattle. He added, “We declare it as a victory of the people of India.”Earlier, the Maoist leader had vowed to give the joint force “afitting reply” when the combined force of the state government ofChhattisgarh and the central paramilitary forced launch the proposedoffensive in the Maoist-dominated areas.
The anti-Maoist operation wassupposed to start from Chhattisgarh, the strongest bastion of theMaoists. According to the Maoist leader, the government had to “retreat” underpressure from all quarters of the people of the country, including theintellectuals.
“Everybody warned the government against this plannedoffensive, which would have claimed many innocent lives,” the leaderof the banned outfit commented.“It’s better that the government addresses the actual problems thepeople are facing like price-hike and lack of employment scopes thatengaging in war of words,’ the Maoist leader advised.
Snigdhendu Bhattacharyasnigdhendub@gmail.com
Kolkata: The war of words between the government and the rebel groupCommunist Party of India (Maoist) continues, as the rebel group,commenting on union home minister P Chidambaram’s Friday statementthat the “Operation Green Hunt” was actually an invention of the media.
“The way Chidambaram took an U-turn on Friday by saying that thecentral government never declared any war against the Maoists and thatthe Operation Green Hunt was only a media invention, it is clear thatthey have retreated,” CPI (Maoist) Politburo member Koteswar Rao aliasKishanji told HT on Saturday over telephone from his hideout inLalgarh.
The Maoist leader said that Chidambaram’s latest statement wasfollowing the understanding that the government would lose thisbattle. He added, “We declare it as a victory of the people of India.”Earlier, the Maoist leader had vowed to give the joint force “afitting reply” when the combined force of the state government ofChhattisgarh and the central paramilitary forced launch the proposedoffensive in the Maoist-dominated areas.
The anti-Maoist operation wassupposed to start from Chhattisgarh, the strongest bastion of theMaoists. According to the Maoist leader, the government had to “retreat” underpressure from all quarters of the people of the country, including theintellectuals.
“Everybody warned the government against this plannedoffensive, which would have claimed many innocent lives,” the leaderof the banned outfit commented.“It’s better that the government addresses the actual problems thepeople are facing like price-hike and lack of employment scopes thatengaging in war of words,’ the Maoist leader advised.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
The Hindustan Times
"We are Ready to Talk to the Government"
[Interview with Koteshwar Rao (Kishanji)]
First Published: 22:35 IST (20/6/2009)
Last Updated: 22:36 IST (20/6/2009)
Koteswar Rao, alias Kishanji, is undoubtedly the backbone of the movement in Lalgarh. Number two in the CPI(Maoist) politburo, the 51-year old landmine expert trained by the LTTE tells Snigdhendu Bhattacharya that the Maoists are ready to talk to the government to resolve the Lalgarh crisis.
Is the CPI(Maoist) ready to talk to the government?
We have no problems with solving the crisis through talks but for that the state and Central governments will first have to withdraw the force from areas where there is a boycott against the police. It is not possible for the agitating tribals to sit for talks when gun-toting police and paramilitary forces are raiding the area.
Have you send a proposal to the state government, as indicated by the West Bengal home secretary Ardhendu Sen on Friday?
No, we haven’t. But we are not rigid — we will not hold on to our demand that the state must apologise. We also want to avoid bloodshed.
Any other conditions?
The talks can only be held at Dalilpur chowk [a stronghold of the tribals/Maoists], in the presence of local tribals who have been subjected to police atrocities.
What about the statement by the Union home minister P. Chidambaram that the Centre favoured banning the CPI(Maoist)?
Nothing more is expected from a stooge of the World Bank. The government has initiated an attack on the tribal population and there must be a reply.
Lalgarh upsurge
Welcome to India’s newest, secret state
Snigdhendu Bhattacharya
Lalgarh (W Midnapore), June 10, 2009
First Published: 02:46 IST(10/6/2009)
Last Updated: 08:05 IST(10/6/2009)
WHEN THEengineer came to this sylvan southwestern corner of West Bengal in May, his estimate for rebuilding a canal was Rs 2 crore.
The government didn’t call him. The villagers didn’t call him.
The man from Jadavpur University — an institution known for its engineering department — was called in by Maoists to this sylvan land of 1,100 villages where a seminal change is unfolding in the way India’s most-powerful and long-lived extremist movement works.
Here across a 1,000-sq-km area bordering Orissa in West Midnapore district,the Maoists over the last eight months have quietly unleashed new weapons in their battle against the Indian state:drinking water, irrigation, roads and health care.
Carefully shielded from the public eye,the Hindustan Times found India’s second “liberated zone”, a Maoist-run state within a state where development for more than 2 lakh people is unfolding at a pace not seen in 30 years of Left rule.
Apart from taking over the organs of the state, most notably the executive and the judiciary,the Maoists here have built at least 50 km of gravel paths,dug tubewells and tanks, rebuilt irrigation canals and are running health centres, with the help of local villagers.
Across India, 150 of 600 districts are termed “Naxal affected”,meaning areas nominally or directly under the control of Maoists. India’s so-called Red Corridor now sprawls across nine states. It is a situ ation that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called “the gravest challenge to India’s security”.
In Kolkata, West Bengal home secretary Ardhendu Sen offered a candid comment.“In areas they have already captured, we would like to show patience,” Sen told HT.
“We are yet to decide how would we get back our hold at those areas,” he added.
The Maoists do everything as costeffectively as possible: The services of the engineer from Jadhavpur University won't be used.
"We'll get it done at a much cheaper prices," said an aide of Koteswar Rao, or Kishanji, the secretive chief of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), the official name for the Naxals, who routinely ambush police and paramilitary patrols — 38 policemen and women have died over the last four months — and terrorise India's poorest regions.
Hundreds of kilometres to the west in their first “liberated zone” in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada region, Maoists have rural governance programmes that include the building of check dams, screening of videotaped educational programmes from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), some anchored by science expert Prof. Yashpal; health facilities and medicine distribution, and even instructions in pre- and post-natal care for villagewomen.
In West Bengal’s Maoist “state”, the government's contribution is a single metalled road that runs from towards Jharkhand.
“The villagers who stay away from this road don’t have any alternative to trudging mile through the forest," said Chhatradhar Mahato, spokesmen for an Maoist front-organisation called Peoples’ Committee Against Police Atrocities. Sitting at a village called Barapelia,the unofficial headquarters for the Maoists,Mahato said:"We have started building gravel paths to connect the villages to this road fast.” Mahato isn’t exaggerating. Maoists and villagers have built many roads, 0.5-km to 3-km-long,linking to the main thoroughfare.
The ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPM, does not like to acknowledge the loss of influence.
“Where haveyou seen the Maoists?” asked Dipak Sarkar, district secretary of the CPM. “Maoists are a non issue in this area." There are no CPM workers in the “liberated zone”,and requests for help pour in from many villages,mainly for pathways and tubewells, and Naxal leaders prioritise them based on need and urgency.
Today’s priority is to answer a desperate call for drinking water from the villager of Borapelia.We will build a tank, said the Maoist planner, at least 55-60 feet deep.
“Otherwise, the miserlyearth won’t throwup water,”said Mahato.“But we are planning it to serve like a master reservoir of drinking water for this region.” Apart from this tank, many tubewells are being revived. You can now see gushing tubewells in the villages of Amdanga,Khairashole,Bahadanga, Pairabila and Shyamcharandanga.
The Maoists havetaken over a health center at the village of Katapahari. It is run by doctors marshaled by them.
Medicines have been arranged.
All this development needs money, and this is where it gets murky.
The Maoists insist the money comes largely from the villagers,who happen to be overwhelmingly poor.
But village sources, requesting anonymity for fear of being killed, said the Naxals use their own money as well.
One of the sources of their money, of course, is extorting government contractors working on the borders of their “state”.
No Maoist zone is complete without kangaroo courts and this region is no exception.Complaints are frequent and leaders like Mahato and another called Lalmohan Tudu dispense speedy justice.
The administration has been literally locked up in the police stations.
At the outpost of Pirakata, a policeman said that he is not supposed to look behind his back. So, he sits with his back to the door of the outpost and is only permitted — by the Naxals — to look ahead.
The area behind his back is the “liberated zone.” Policeman of the Lalgarh thana (police station) havebeen allowed, after about four months, to get water from a shop in front of the thana.
“If the situation has spun out of control today, it began with police atrocities,” said a local officer candidly.“We have detained and tortured at will.” The Maoist liberated zone is now spreading due to police inaction, said other police officers, all requesting anonymity.The strategyof the administration is to contain the spread.
“We will proceed according to the law of the nation,”said Manoj Verma, superintendent of police, West Midnapore. He offered no details.
The problem is the laws of the nation don’t work. Even polling booths were forced out in West Midnapore’s liberated zone. To defend their haven, the Naxals have trained and deployed a substantial army.
How long can they defend the area from the might of the state? “I know an action (sic) is perhaps impending,” said Koteswar Rao, or Kishnaji, the second in command of the Indian Maoists, in an exclusive interview to the Hindustan Times.“But let them try once. It will be the last time they will eye this territory.” SnigdhenduB@gmail.com
Snigdhendu Bhattacharya
Lalgarh (W Midnapore), June 10, 2009
First Published: 02:46 IST(10/6/2009)
Last Updated: 08:05 IST(10/6/2009)
WHEN THEengineer came to this sylvan southwestern corner of West Bengal in May, his estimate for rebuilding a canal was Rs 2 crore.
The government didn’t call him. The villagers didn’t call him.
The man from Jadavpur University — an institution known for its engineering department — was called in by Maoists to this sylvan land of 1,100 villages where a seminal change is unfolding in the way India’s most-powerful and long-lived extremist movement works.
Here across a 1,000-sq-km area bordering Orissa in West Midnapore district,the Maoists over the last eight months have quietly unleashed new weapons in their battle against the Indian state:drinking water, irrigation, roads and health care.
Carefully shielded from the public eye,the Hindustan Times found India’s second “liberated zone”, a Maoist-run state within a state where development for more than 2 lakh people is unfolding at a pace not seen in 30 years of Left rule.
Apart from taking over the organs of the state, most notably the executive and the judiciary,the Maoists here have built at least 50 km of gravel paths,dug tubewells and tanks, rebuilt irrigation canals and are running health centres, with the help of local villagers.
Across India, 150 of 600 districts are termed “Naxal affected”,meaning areas nominally or directly under the control of Maoists. India’s so-called Red Corridor now sprawls across nine states. It is a situ ation that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called “the gravest challenge to India’s security”.
In Kolkata, West Bengal home secretary Ardhendu Sen offered a candid comment.“In areas they have already captured, we would like to show patience,” Sen told HT.
“We are yet to decide how would we get back our hold at those areas,” he added.
The Maoists do everything as costeffectively as possible: The services of the engineer from Jadhavpur University won't be used.
"We'll get it done at a much cheaper prices," said an aide of Koteswar Rao, or Kishanji, the secretive chief of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), the official name for the Naxals, who routinely ambush police and paramilitary patrols — 38 policemen and women have died over the last four months — and terrorise India's poorest regions.
Hundreds of kilometres to the west in their first “liberated zone” in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada region, Maoists have rural governance programmes that include the building of check dams, screening of videotaped educational programmes from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), some anchored by science expert Prof. Yashpal; health facilities and medicine distribution, and even instructions in pre- and post-natal care for villagewomen.
In West Bengal’s Maoist “state”, the government's contribution is a single metalled road that runs from towards Jharkhand.
“The villagers who stay away from this road don’t have any alternative to trudging mile through the forest," said Chhatradhar Mahato, spokesmen for an Maoist front-organisation called Peoples’ Committee Against Police Atrocities. Sitting at a village called Barapelia,the unofficial headquarters for the Maoists,Mahato said:"We have started building gravel paths to connect the villages to this road fast.” Mahato isn’t exaggerating. Maoists and villagers have built many roads, 0.5-km to 3-km-long,linking to the main thoroughfare.
The ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPM, does not like to acknowledge the loss of influence.
“Where haveyou seen the Maoists?” asked Dipak Sarkar, district secretary of the CPM. “Maoists are a non issue in this area." There are no CPM workers in the “liberated zone”,and requests for help pour in from many villages,mainly for pathways and tubewells, and Naxal leaders prioritise them based on need and urgency.
Today’s priority is to answer a desperate call for drinking water from the villager of Borapelia.We will build a tank, said the Maoist planner, at least 55-60 feet deep.
“Otherwise, the miserlyearth won’t throwup water,”said Mahato.“But we are planning it to serve like a master reservoir of drinking water for this region.” Apart from this tank, many tubewells are being revived. You can now see gushing tubewells in the villages of Amdanga,Khairashole,Bahadanga, Pairabila and Shyamcharandanga.
The Maoists havetaken over a health center at the village of Katapahari. It is run by doctors marshaled by them.
Medicines have been arranged.
All this development needs money, and this is where it gets murky.
The Maoists insist the money comes largely from the villagers,who happen to be overwhelmingly poor.
But village sources, requesting anonymity for fear of being killed, said the Naxals use their own money as well.
One of the sources of their money, of course, is extorting government contractors working on the borders of their “state”.
No Maoist zone is complete without kangaroo courts and this region is no exception.Complaints are frequent and leaders like Mahato and another called Lalmohan Tudu dispense speedy justice.
The administration has been literally locked up in the police stations.
At the outpost of Pirakata, a policeman said that he is not supposed to look behind his back. So, he sits with his back to the door of the outpost and is only permitted — by the Naxals — to look ahead.
The area behind his back is the “liberated zone.” Policeman of the Lalgarh thana (police station) havebeen allowed, after about four months, to get water from a shop in front of the thana.
“If the situation has spun out of control today, it began with police atrocities,” said a local officer candidly.“We have detained and tortured at will.” The Maoist liberated zone is now spreading due to police inaction, said other police officers, all requesting anonymity.The strategyof the administration is to contain the spread.
“We will proceed according to the law of the nation,”said Manoj Verma, superintendent of police, West Midnapore. He offered no details.
The problem is the laws of the nation don’t work. Even polling booths were forced out in West Midnapore’s liberated zone. To defend their haven, the Naxals have trained and deployed a substantial army.
How long can they defend the area from the might of the state? “I know an action (sic) is perhaps impending,” said Koteswar Rao, or Kishnaji, the second in command of the Indian Maoists, in an exclusive interview to the Hindustan Times.“But let them try once. It will be the last time they will eye this territory.” SnigdhenduB@gmail.com
To behead or not to behead
Snigdhendu Bhattacharya, Hindustan Times
Email Author
Kolkata, October 20, 2009
First Published: 13:48 IST(20/10/2009)
Last Updated: 23:24 IST(20/10/2009)
Email Author
Kolkata, October 20, 2009
First Published: 13:48 IST(20/10/2009)
Last Updated: 23:24 IST(20/10/2009)
For the first time, Maoists are debating the manner in which they kill people. Kishanji, the 51-year old politburo member of the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist), said its leaders would review the recent beheading of inspector Francis Induwar.
“A committee would seek a report on the circumstances in which he had to be beheaded,” Kishanji said, even as Maoist insurgents on Tuesday raided a police station, shot dead two officers and kidnapped another.
The decapitated body of the 50-year-old inspector Induwar was found on the Jamshedpur-Ranchi highway in Jharkhand on October 6.
Between January and August 2008, 317 civilians were killed owing to Maoists violence. This year, till August 31, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs, 341 people had been killed.
But this is the first time the Maoists have admitted to a debate in party circles over the manner of elimination. Kishanji said this when HT quizzed him on the contents of a circular sent to the Andhra Pradesh state committee of the CPI (Marxist Leninist-People’s War) in 1998.
In that circular, the central committee of the CPI (Marxist Leninist)(Peoples War) had warned its cadres against excessive bloodbath.
“Many leaders have taken decisions without consulting the people, our support base. This is creating a reaction against us,” the circular had warned.
On Monday Kishanji claimed core committees review all actions of CPI (Maoist) cadres.
“Between 2004 and 2008 in the Bengal-Jharkhand-Orissa belt, the area committee found that 85 per cent of the executions were perfect.”
According to him all executions by the Peoples’ Liberation Guerrilla Army in and around Lalgarh between June 18 and October this year were justified.
There have been close to 72 executions in this period, but the Maoists accept responsibility for only around 35. Lalgarh, in West Bengal’s West Midnapore district, 160 km southwest of Kolkata, has been severely affected by left-wing extremism for months.
“A committee would seek a report on the circumstances in which he had to be beheaded,” Kishanji said, even as Maoist insurgents on Tuesday raided a police station, shot dead two officers and kidnapped another.
The decapitated body of the 50-year-old inspector Induwar was found on the Jamshedpur-Ranchi highway in Jharkhand on October 6.
Between January and August 2008, 317 civilians were killed owing to Maoists violence. This year, till August 31, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs, 341 people had been killed.
But this is the first time the Maoists have admitted to a debate in party circles over the manner of elimination. Kishanji said this when HT quizzed him on the contents of a circular sent to the Andhra Pradesh state committee of the CPI (Marxist Leninist-People’s War) in 1998.
In that circular, the central committee of the CPI (Marxist Leninist)(Peoples War) had warned its cadres against excessive bloodbath.
“Many leaders have taken decisions without consulting the people, our support base. This is creating a reaction against us,” the circular had warned.
On Monday Kishanji claimed core committees review all actions of CPI (Maoist) cadres.
“Between 2004 and 2008 in the Bengal-Jharkhand-Orissa belt, the area committee found that 85 per cent of the executions were perfect.”
According to him all executions by the Peoples’ Liberation Guerrilla Army in and around Lalgarh between June 18 and October this year were justified.
There have been close to 72 executions in this period, but the Maoists accept responsibility for only around 35. Lalgarh, in West Bengal’s West Midnapore district, 160 km southwest of Kolkata, has been severely affected by left-wing extremism for months.
Interview with Kishanji, CPI(Maoist) politburo member
Here is excerpts from an inerview I did with Koteswar Rao alias Kishanji, a politburo and Cenral Military Commission member of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist).
It took place in the second week on June, inside a forest-surrounded village under Lalgarh police station in West Bengal's West Midnapore district.
What’s the future of the so-called Indian revolution you are spearheading?
We have a considerable mass base in eight or nine states. Moreover, the capitalist economy is going through a crisis all over the world, and sooner or later,India will suffer the same fate as the West. So, the conditions are quite ripe for a revolution.
You had earlier supported Islamic militancy. Do you still do so after the Mumbai attacks?
We do not support the way they attacked the Victoria station (Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, or CST), where most of the victims were Muslims. At the same time, we feel that the Islamic upsurge should not be opposed as it is basically anti-US and anti-imperialist in nature. We, therefore, want it to grow.
Please tell us about the attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee (in November 2008).
I personally ordered the attack on the chief minister. We had to lay one kilometer of cables through the fields. However, during inspection, we found that mice had chewed it up at several places. So, we had to repair it.
How is your party faring in states like Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal and Maharastra?
Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Orissa will be the new storm centres in Indian politics. We have our strongest base in Chhattisgarh – particularly in Old Bastar, which stretches across five districts—and it’s totally in our control now. Our militia in the state is more than one-lakh strong.
We have the wherewithal to put up teams of 400-500 fighters, encircle hundreds of police and para-military troops, and wipe out them. We have also taken up development projects. Then, we are gaining strength in the other states you mentioned.
But you have almost no presence in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and many other major states. How then can you achieve your ambition of wresting power in Delhi?
We will have to concentrate on building our base in these states. In UP, especially, we need to concentrate on the Muslim population and the trade union sector.Punjab has very positive conditions (for a Maoist revolution) and also a history of Left movements. So, I’m hopeful of expanding our base there.
Your party suffered a major setback in Andhra Pradesh. What are you doing about it?
It’s true that we faced a major setback in Andhra Pradesh (when the police drove the Naxalites out of their former strongholds across the state). But we will definitely recover because most of our leadership is alive and safe in our Dandakaranya camps. Our mass base, built up over 30 years, is still intact. But in a war, there will always be ups and downs.
We have a considerable mass base in eight or nine states. Moreover, the capitalist economy is going through a crisis all over the world, and sooner or later,India will suffer the same fate as the West. So, the conditions are quite ripe for a revolution.
You had earlier supported Islamic militancy. Do you still do so after the Mumbai attacks?
We do not support the way they attacked the Victoria station (Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, or CST), where most of the victims were Muslims. At the same time, we feel that the Islamic upsurge should not be opposed as it is basically anti-US and anti-imperialist in nature. We, therefore, want it to grow.
Please tell us about the attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee (in November 2008).
I personally ordered the attack on the chief minister. We had to lay one kilometer of cables through the fields. However, during inspection, we found that mice had chewed it up at several places. So, we had to repair it.
How is your party faring in states like Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal and Maharastra?
Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Orissa will be the new storm centres in Indian politics. We have our strongest base in Chhattisgarh – particularly in Old Bastar, which stretches across five districts—and it’s totally in our control now. Our militia in the state is more than one-lakh strong.
We have the wherewithal to put up teams of 400-500 fighters, encircle hundreds of police and para-military troops, and wipe out them. We have also taken up development projects. Then, we are gaining strength in the other states you mentioned.
But you have almost no presence in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and many other major states. How then can you achieve your ambition of wresting power in Delhi?
We will have to concentrate on building our base in these states. In UP, especially, we need to concentrate on the Muslim population and the trade union sector.Punjab has very positive conditions (for a Maoist revolution) and also a history of Left movements. So, I’m hopeful of expanding our base there.
Your party suffered a major setback in Andhra Pradesh. What are you doing about it?
It’s true that we faced a major setback in Andhra Pradesh (when the police drove the Naxalites out of their former strongholds across the state). But we will definitely recover because most of our leadership is alive and safe in our Dandakaranya camps. Our mass base, built up over 30 years, is still intact. But in a war, there will always be ups and downs.
NREGA, Maoists want it, World Bank does not
The World Bank does not want the Indian government to continue with the National Rural Employment Gurranty Act (NREGA), which ensures at least 100 days' job for the rural people. The WB observed in its World Development Report 2009 that it would reduce migrating tendencies among rural people and that if they get jobs at their villages they would not venture to the cities and towns.
The Central governmen, however, feels that the NREGA must be given more importance and the implementation process should be intensified, espacially in the Left Wing Extreemism (Maoism) affected districts, in order to check speedy growth of the Maoists.
the NREGA, besides ensuring 100 days' rural jobs, also ensure that a job card holder in entitled to get the payments for 100 days even if the government fails to prodive him with jobs.
The Maoists are in full praise of the scheme and slams the cenrtral and state governments for not implementing the scheme properly as well as looting NREGA funds.
Here is one of my reportings published in Hindustan Times--
Guess who’s praising Govt’s rural job plan? The MaoistsSnigdhendu Bhattacharya, Hindustan TimesEmail AuthorKolkata, November 23, 2009First Published: 23:52 IST(23/11/2009)Last Updated: 02:23 IST(24/11/2009)The government’s pet project, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), has a new champion — the Maoists.“We urge the Centre to audit NREGS projects in the underdeveloped regions of (West) Bengal,” Koteshwar Rao (51), alias Kishenji, politburo member of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), told HT from his hideout. “We guarantee protection to any official who may need to visit these regions.” More than 220 districts — one-third of India’s total districts — are affected by Maoist violence, home ministry figures say. Three of Bengal’s 18 districts are Maoist strongholds. Government statistics say 300 security personnel were killed in Maoist violence this year. According to Rao, ensuring 100 days of employment annually for villagers is the right step towards improving their condition. “What’s the point in new schemes when funds for earlier schemes are lying unused?” he asked. “Proper implementation of NREGS projects will do a world of good to the rural poor.” In 2008-09, only 3.2 per cent rural households completed 100 days of employment in Maoist-hit districts, Rita Sharma, secretary in the rural development ministry, said on October 27.“It is imperative to intensify efforts to ensure rural households receive their due entitlement,” read Sharma’s letter addressed, among others, to the West Bengal chief secretary.“Bengal is one of the worst performers,” said Rao. “They have crores of rupees of NREGS funds lying idle.”
The Central governmen, however, feels that the NREGA must be given more importance and the implementation process should be intensified, espacially in the Left Wing Extreemism (Maoism) affected districts, in order to check speedy growth of the Maoists.
the NREGA, besides ensuring 100 days' rural jobs, also ensure that a job card holder in entitled to get the payments for 100 days even if the government fails to prodive him with jobs.
The Maoists are in full praise of the scheme and slams the cenrtral and state governments for not implementing the scheme properly as well as looting NREGA funds.
Here is one of my reportings published in Hindustan Times--
Guess who’s praising Govt’s rural job plan? The MaoistsSnigdhendu Bhattacharya, Hindustan TimesEmail AuthorKolkata, November 23, 2009First Published: 23:52 IST(23/11/2009)Last Updated: 02:23 IST(24/11/2009)The government’s pet project, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), has a new champion — the Maoists.“We urge the Centre to audit NREGS projects in the underdeveloped regions of (West) Bengal,” Koteshwar Rao (51), alias Kishenji, politburo member of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), told HT from his hideout. “We guarantee protection to any official who may need to visit these regions.” More than 220 districts — one-third of India’s total districts — are affected by Maoist violence, home ministry figures say. Three of Bengal’s 18 districts are Maoist strongholds. Government statistics say 300 security personnel were killed in Maoist violence this year. According to Rao, ensuring 100 days of employment annually for villagers is the right step towards improving their condition. “What’s the point in new schemes when funds for earlier schemes are lying unused?” he asked. “Proper implementation of NREGS projects will do a world of good to the rural poor.” In 2008-09, only 3.2 per cent rural households completed 100 days of employment in Maoist-hit districts, Rita Sharma, secretary in the rural development ministry, said on October 27.“It is imperative to intensify efforts to ensure rural households receive their due entitlement,” read Sharma’s letter addressed, among others, to the West Bengal chief secretary.“Bengal is one of the worst performers,” said Rao. “They have crores of rupees of NREGS funds lying idle.”
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