New strategy for Maoists?

29 November 2011

biswabrata goswami
MIDNAPORE, 29 NOV: Faced with aggressive government campaign against the wanton killings that have become the hallmark of their strategy, and against their sympathisers, the Maoists seem to be engaged in a re-think on using violence in the “class struggle”.
Indications of a possible change in their stance come at a time when both the Centre and state government have been aggressively attacking intelligentsia, supporters and human rights activists for espousing the Maoist cause, branding them as mere terrorists who had no ideological backing behind them.
In a re-think of the strategy of ‘individual killing’, a section of Maoists is trying to stress on mass movement by reviving its defunct organisations and forming units in new sectors based on priority.
Accordingly, a section of Maoists hiding in the Belpahari area of Jhargram in West Midnapore has formed a cooperative society called as Janasadharaner Krishi Samabay at Patharchapri village. In a leaflet (see sns photo) which was recently circulated among farmers of various villages in Belpahari, Kishan, a central committee leader of the CPI (Maoist), said: “This cooperative is now in a rudimentary stage. The main motto of this cooperative is to help the farmer; not to earn profit. Apart from this, it will help to protect the farmers from touts and mahajans”. The Maoist leader also claimed that farmers living in 14 villages in and around Patharchapri have joined the new cooperative. A Maoist leader on condition of anonymity said: “More cooperatives will be formed in Junglemahal in future as our leadership is now stressing on mass movement before going in for armed struggle against state oppression.”
“Individual killings, which are not the strategy of Maoists, have created a rift between the people and Maoists. A section of Maoists that is already detached from the party is still collecting money from people and they often kill people. But as the Maoists had started mass movement first in Junglemahal, the responsibility of each and every killing goes to the party,” said the Maoist leader. Intelligence agencies have already sent reports of the new developments to the Central government. According to reports, several youths in Belpahari have taken up arms training, albeit without weapons.  “The rebels stress on forming secret party units in the farming community first in the rural areas. Their main focus is that of mass political mobilisation by inculcating leadership qualities in the rural working class,” said a senior official.