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Red star over South Asia? The two leading and outlawed Naxalite organisations in the country, People’s War (PW) and Maoist Communist Centre (MCC), are heading for unification in the coming months. They plan to up the ante on violence and are keen on “ideological” partnership with not only Maoists of Nepal but also groups fighting for “nationality” causes. These, in Naxalite definition, will include the LTTE and North-east and Kashmir ultras.
Even if a part of this plan works out, the ramifications could be staggering for the country’s political leadership and security agencies. Naxalite sources told The
Statesman, quoting PW politburo member Ramji, that the process of the unification had reached a “decisive stage” and would be completed within months.
The leaderships of the PW and MCC have been negotiating for months and they’ve ironed out most of their ideological and tactical differences. Nepalese Maoists and some other South Asian ultra-Left groups are playing a key role to bring about a unity in their ranks. The PW and MCC are also holding joint meetings involving the “masses” to signal their upcoming unification, the sources said.
The two Naxalite outfits will be re-christened upon their unification, with the word Maoist to be added to CPI-ML People’s War. They will be able to pool their operational and strategic expertise, giving more teeth to their organisation and guerrilla apparatus. The unified outfit will have about 12,000 armed guerrillas.
Ramji was also quoted as having said that the Naxalites were gearing up to expand their bases and launch an “armed struggle” across South Asia. He admitted the PW’s “close bonds” with Nepalese Maoists, saying they share “their political and military experiences”. Earlier unity talks between the PW and the MCC had broken down. “This time, however, unification is a very real possibility.”
The CPI-ML Party Unity, which operated in undivided Bihar, had merged with the PW a few years ago. PW chief Ganapathy had then underlined the “huge significance of the merger”, making it clear that unification was the only way to carry forward the “Indian revolution against imperialist repression and exploitation”. Even PU secretary Prasad had on the occasion stressed on bringing the MCC close even though the two outfits had been locked in a violent turf fight in Bihar.
Despite the State’s continuing crackdown, the Naxalite groups are gaining in strength and are spreading their bases. The unification would clearly make the already formidable PW and MCC more lethal while paving the way for merger of other splinter groups with the combine.
The PW is well-entrenched in Dandakaranya (DK), which stretches through tribal-inhabited forest areas of AP, Maharashtra, Orissa, MP and Chhattisgarh. PW central committee member Lachhanna said they would make DK their “base area”.
The outfits are said to have links
with the LTTE, North-eastern ultra groups such as the NSCN-IM, and even
with Kashmiri militants. While not disclosing the details, Ganapathy had
said it was part of the PW’s policy to have links with all “militant Communist”
and “nationality” movements.
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