Danger signals: Maoists seek linkages with Muslim extremists
Submitted by Mudassir Rizwan
25 August 2008 - 5:35am.
By P.V. Ramana, IANS
TwoCircles.net
Naxalites of the Communist Party of India Maoist (CPI-Maoist) have condemned the extension of the proscription on the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), which has been involved in a series of bomb blasts in India. According to media reports, Azad, spokesperson of the Central Committee of the CPI-Maoist, said "it was a reiteration of the (government's) policy to continue its brutal war on Muslims". In another statement, Azad also condemned what he called the "double standards of the Indian ruling classes in Kashmir". He called upon Kashmiri Muslims to "fight back Hindu fascist forces and Indian expansionists".
The CPI-Maoist has always held the secessionist insurgencies in Jammu and Kashmir and India's northeast as well as the Tamil Tigers' war against the Sri Lankan state as "nationality struggles".
At its Unity Congress (also known as 9th Congress) towards the end of January 2007, the CPI-Maoist passed a resolution on 'Nationality Struggles', another on 'Nationalities', and yet another resolution on 'Hindu Fascism'.
While it extended support to the secessionist-terrorist movement in Jammu and Kashmir, terming it a nationality struggle, it also said: "The Indian state too has targeted Muslims, branding them 'terrorist'. After 9/11 and the (Indian) parliament attack, Muslims were targeted once again... Our party is willing to unite in a broad front with all the genuine democratic forces which would be willing to fight back the Hindu fascist offensive."
In the past, too, with a view to winning the support of the Muslim community, the Maoists sought to convey that they empathise with them.
For instance, in 2005, the then Andhra Pradesh State Committee Secretary of the CPI-Maoist extended "moral support" and condemned the arrest in Hyderabad of an accused in the murder of a Gujarat politician.
The current statement relating to the proscription of SIMI could be understood by considering the following.
One, it is an attempt to win over the support of the Muslim community and thus broaden their base.
Two, the Maoists are making common cause with SIMI by condemning its proscription as they too are a proscribed organisation in some states; they are also banned by the central government under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.
Three, and more importantly, this should be seen in the context of the Maoist tactic of making common cause with any organisation or body that opposes the Indian state either through peaceful means or violently.
This is part of the United Front tactics of the Maoists.
According to classical understanding, a Communist party should have three "magic weapons": strong party, strong army and United Front. According to the CPI-Maoist, they would form two types of fronts: Strategic United Front (SUF) and Tactical United Front (TUF).
In other words, the former refers to joining forces with similar armed groups whereas the latter points to forming alliances with legitimate, overground unarmed groups. As yet, there is no indication to suggest that the CPI-Maoist has formed SUF; but the intention has been made loud and clear.
The working of the TUF is clearly in play at present. As a senior police officer (who was earlier with the anti-Naxalite Special Intelligence Branch in Andhra Pradesh) told this author in July, a TUF serves the Maoists' agenda in the following ways:
* To consolidate various 'anti-imperialist' struggles and bring them on to one platform on the basis of a common working understanding;
* To expand the reach of the Maoists to various sections of society by building contacts with them;
* To expand overground cadre strength, thoroughly indoctrinate them, and then completely incorporate them into organisational work, especially in urban areas;
* Poach partners for potential leaders and ideologues;
* Serves as a good cover from the long arm of the state;
* Essentially being a political activity, it reinforces military activities, i.e., armed struggle.
The CPI-Maoist has a front organisation known as Revolutionary Democratic Front (RDF), which has been proscribed by the central government. Some of its key leaders and units are known to be functioning in various states.
The RDF was the prime mover behind the formation of the People's Democratic Front of India (PDFI) that was founded in July 2006. Its members include Medha Patkar, Nandita Haksar, S.A.R. Geelani, B.D. Sharma, P. Varavara Rao and Darshan Pal.
Some of its constituent organisations include Samyukta Sangram Committee (West Bengal), Indian Federation of Trade Unions, All India Federation of Trade Unions, Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha, Daman Virodhi Manch (Orissa), Jharkhand Progressive Students Union -- an affiliate of the All India Radical Students Federation (AIRSF).
It is important to closely monitor the linkages that overground Maoist groups and individuals might seek to form with Muslim groups. These links would not threaten the security of the country but can serve as a headache that can best be avoided.
(P.V. Ramana is Research Fellow, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi. He can be contacted at palepuramana@gmail.com)
SIMI's Admirers @ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/akandabaratam/message/35418
Communists' Introspection @ http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/36593
http://www.twocircles.net/2008aug24/danger_signals_maoists_seek_linkages_muslim_extremists.html
Showing posts with label Indian Communists. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Indian Communists. Show all posts
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Friday, June 20, 2008
** Red Rag Adrift
http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20080623&fname=Bengal+%28F%29&sid=1
Red Rag Adrift
Smita Gupta
Tremors In The Duma
- The loss in the panchayat elections has proved that the party is not invincible
-Many CPI(M) leaders fear the party's votebank is shifting
-People have begun to question the corruption of district/village-level leaders and the Marxist cadre
-Large-scale acquisition of rural land has affected Muslims sharply for most of them are farmers.
-Despite coercion and violence, a sizeable number of voters silently voted against the party
Corrective Camps
-The CPI(M) has sent out questionnaires to party functionaries right down to the panchayat level to get feedback on what had gone wrong
-The exercise will be completed by July after which the party will decide on the course correction to undertake
-The party has begun to mend relations with its Left partners, the CPI, the Forward Bloc and the RSP by being conciliatory in allocation of seats for the June-end municipal polls
-There will be no large-scale purges. The party will strengthen weak units.
Posters plastered over the walls of the dingy Trinamool Congress office in Nandigram hark back to the violence that stalked this idyll of Purba Medinipur for a year and half. Images of victims share space, ironically enough, with that apostle of non-violence, Mahatma Gandhi, and TC chief Mamata Banerjee. But the face that leaps out is of a man in khaki—the CRPF's Alok Raj. A 1989 IPS officer, his 12 hours in Nandigram ensured a free, if not entirely peaceful, polls here on May 11, resulting in a humiliating defeat for the CPI(M) and a thumbs down for the petrochemical hub planned in the area. For Nandigram's beleaguered residents, Raj is a hero (even though Tamluk CPI(M) MP Lakshman Seth slapped molestation charges against him; they have since been dropped).
A few theatrically evocative lines from a Sunny Deol film, Indian, written across the poster in Bengali captures their sentiments. "Jab ek pulis mar jayega/tab log kahenge accha hua/ek ghooskhor mar gaya. Jab ek sainik mar jayega/tab log rote hue kahenge/ek shahid ho gaya. (When a policeman dies, people say a bribe-taker is dead. When a soldier dies, people weep and say, a martyr is born.)"
Clearly, the locals view the state police as the CPI(M)'s "strongarm", while revering the paramilitary forces as saviors. A young Muslim woman, at the primary health centre with her sick child, tells me: "Ami Alok Rajer jonne dine paanch baar dua kori (I pray for Alok Raj five times a day)". Indeed, the message from the recent panchayat polls in the Left citadel of Bengal is that the CPI(M) party machine can be breached.
The people are clearly no longer prepared—after 30 years of unbroken absolute rule—to tolerate the corruption, arrogance and poor governance visible at the lowest levels of the panchayat administration. These results also highlight a growing alienation among Muslims, who account for 27 per cent of the state's population.
Since most Bengali Muslims are farmers, the land acquisition issue has hit them hard. In addition, the Sachar report, which confirmed that employment figures for Muslims here are abysmal, was used by the Jamait Ulema-e-Hind's Siddiqullah Chowdhury to fuel the discontent.
Indeed, it is the Muslims who are at the forefront of the cry for "poriborton" here.Of course, the Left still has a majority in all three tiers of the state's panchayat system, controlling 13 of the 17 zilla parishads (down two from 2003). But in ZPs like Murshidabad and North 24 Parganas, where it has a slender majority, and the four districts of North Dinajpur, Malda, South 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur that it lost, the going will be tough now.
Complete story at : http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20080623&fname=Bengal+%28F%29&sid=1&pn=2
Red Rag Adrift
Smita Gupta
Tremors In The Duma
- The loss in the panchayat elections has proved that the party is not invincible
-Many CPI(M) leaders fear the party's votebank is shifting
-People have begun to question the corruption of district/village-level leaders and the Marxist cadre
-Large-scale acquisition of rural land has affected Muslims sharply for most of them are farmers.
-Despite coercion and violence, a sizeable number of voters silently voted against the party
Corrective Camps
-The CPI(M) has sent out questionnaires to party functionaries right down to the panchayat level to get feedback on what had gone wrong
-The exercise will be completed by July after which the party will decide on the course correction to undertake
-The party has begun to mend relations with its Left partners, the CPI, the Forward Bloc and the RSP by being conciliatory in allocation of seats for the June-end municipal polls
-There will be no large-scale purges. The party will strengthen weak units.
Posters plastered over the walls of the dingy Trinamool Congress office in Nandigram hark back to the violence that stalked this idyll of Purba Medinipur for a year and half. Images of victims share space, ironically enough, with that apostle of non-violence, Mahatma Gandhi, and TC chief Mamata Banerjee. But the face that leaps out is of a man in khaki—the CRPF's Alok Raj. A 1989 IPS officer, his 12 hours in Nandigram ensured a free, if not entirely peaceful, polls here on May 11, resulting in a humiliating defeat for the CPI(M) and a thumbs down for the petrochemical hub planned in the area. For Nandigram's beleaguered residents, Raj is a hero (even though Tamluk CPI(M) MP Lakshman Seth slapped molestation charges against him; they have since been dropped).
A few theatrically evocative lines from a Sunny Deol film, Indian, written across the poster in Bengali captures their sentiments. "Jab ek pulis mar jayega/tab log kahenge accha hua/ek ghooskhor mar gaya. Jab ek sainik mar jayega/tab log rote hue kahenge/ek shahid ho gaya. (When a policeman dies, people say a bribe-taker is dead. When a soldier dies, people weep and say, a martyr is born.)"
Clearly, the locals view the state police as the CPI(M)'s "strongarm", while revering the paramilitary forces as saviors. A young Muslim woman, at the primary health centre with her sick child, tells me: "Ami Alok Rajer jonne dine paanch baar dua kori (I pray for Alok Raj five times a day)". Indeed, the message from the recent panchayat polls in the Left citadel of Bengal is that the CPI(M) party machine can be breached.
The people are clearly no longer prepared—after 30 years of unbroken absolute rule—to tolerate the corruption, arrogance and poor governance visible at the lowest levels of the panchayat administration. These results also highlight a growing alienation among Muslims, who account for 27 per cent of the state's population.
Since most Bengali Muslims are farmers, the land acquisition issue has hit them hard. In addition, the Sachar report, which confirmed that employment figures for Muslims here are abysmal, was used by the Jamait Ulema-e-Hind's Siddiqullah Chowdhury to fuel the discontent.
Indeed, it is the Muslims who are at the forefront of the cry for "poriborton" here.Of course, the Left still has a majority in all three tiers of the state's panchayat system, controlling 13 of the 17 zilla parishads (down two from 2003). But in ZPs like Murshidabad and North 24 Parganas, where it has a slender majority, and the four districts of North Dinajpur, Malda, South 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur that it lost, the going will be tough now.
Complete story at : http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20080623&fname=Bengal+%28F%29&sid=1&pn=2
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
** CBI exposes Nandigram
CBI exposes truth about Nandigram
Daily Pioneer
Edit Desk
It is unfortunate that the investigations into the violence of March 14, 2007 at Nandigram in West Bengal have now been brought under a cloud of controversy.
The report on the March massacre at Nandigram submitted by the CBI to the Calcutta High Court is disturbing for it has put a question mark on the fairness of the police investigation, such as it was, ordered by the Left Front Government, as also on the establishment of peace -- as claimed by the Marxist regime -- in this district.
If the facts of the CBI report are true, and there is no reason to doubt them, then it would appear that the CPI(M) is attempting a cover-up of the ghastly killing of 14 innocent people -- claimed to have been shot dead by the police but in all probability victims of Marxist cadre on the rampage -- by intimidating witnesses.
The State Government should take note of these charges and act, for such intimidation is not tolerable. If it has any respect for the rule of law, the Government must intervene immediately to put an end to the reign of fear that prevails in the villages of Nandigram.
A judicially founded inquiry cannot be affected by extraneous considerations nor must it give the appearance of being so affected. As for the events of March 14, it will be recalled that the police had claimed that these deaths occurred when they tried to enter Nandigram and were "attacked" by thousands of villagers.
The CBI investigation has so far recorded the contention of the villagers that the police resorted to firing without giving them a chance to disperse. They have also denied that they resorted to violence against the police. The CBI's initial report submitted to the court provides only a glimpse of the true story of Nandigram. Its final report -- the agency has been given two more months by the court to conclude its investigations -- would reveal the full contours of Marxist barbarity. Although the report is meant for the court, public interest demands that it should not be kept under wraps.
That the CPI(M) would try to cover up the crimes committed by its cadre on March 14 -- as also in end-October and early-November -- was only to be expected. The State police, which has been thoroughly politicised by the Left Front Government and is no more than an extension counter of the ruling party, could not have acted otherwise.
If it had conducted a fair inquiry into the events leading up to March 14, then the Government would have been severely embarrassed and the CPI(M) exposed. Hence, a web of lies and deceit was spun to foist the impression that casualties were not as high as was claimed by the victims and the media. Those lies now lie in tatters: The CBI inquiry shows many more people were wounded than was admitted by the Government. For all we know, more than 14 people died that day.
url: http://www.dailypioneer.com/indexn12.asp?main_variable=EDITS&file_name=edit2%2Etxt&counter_img=2
Daily Pioneer
Edit Desk
It is unfortunate that the investigations into the violence of March 14, 2007 at Nandigram in West Bengal have now been brought under a cloud of controversy.
The report on the March massacre at Nandigram submitted by the CBI to the Calcutta High Court is disturbing for it has put a question mark on the fairness of the police investigation, such as it was, ordered by the Left Front Government, as also on the establishment of peace -- as claimed by the Marxist regime -- in this district.
If the facts of the CBI report are true, and there is no reason to doubt them, then it would appear that the CPI(M) is attempting a cover-up of the ghastly killing of 14 innocent people -- claimed to have been shot dead by the police but in all probability victims of Marxist cadre on the rampage -- by intimidating witnesses.
The State Government should take note of these charges and act, for such intimidation is not tolerable. If it has any respect for the rule of law, the Government must intervene immediately to put an end to the reign of fear that prevails in the villages of Nandigram.
A judicially founded inquiry cannot be affected by extraneous considerations nor must it give the appearance of being so affected. As for the events of March 14, it will be recalled that the police had claimed that these deaths occurred when they tried to enter Nandigram and were "attacked" by thousands of villagers.
The CBI investigation has so far recorded the contention of the villagers that the police resorted to firing without giving them a chance to disperse. They have also denied that they resorted to violence against the police. The CBI's initial report submitted to the court provides only a glimpse of the true story of Nandigram. Its final report -- the agency has been given two more months by the court to conclude its investigations -- would reveal the full contours of Marxist barbarity. Although the report is meant for the court, public interest demands that it should not be kept under wraps.
That the CPI(M) would try to cover up the crimes committed by its cadre on March 14 -- as also in end-October and early-November -- was only to be expected. The State police, which has been thoroughly politicised by the Left Front Government and is no more than an extension counter of the ruling party, could not have acted otherwise.
If it had conducted a fair inquiry into the events leading up to March 14, then the Government would have been severely embarrassed and the CPI(M) exposed. Hence, a web of lies and deceit was spun to foist the impression that casualties were not as high as was claimed by the victims and the media. Those lies now lie in tatters: The CBI inquiry shows many more people were wounded than was admitted by the Government. For all we know, more than 14 people died that day.
url: http://www.dailypioneer.com/indexn12.asp?main_variable=EDITS&file_name=edit2%2Etxt&counter_img=2
Sunday, November 11, 2007
** CPM blamed for Nandigram
Allies, intellectuals blame CPM for Nandigram
November 11, 2007 -CNN:IBN
New Delhi/Kolkata: The CPI-M government in West Bengal is fighting with its back to the wall after its three junior allies and prominent intellectuals in the state blamed it for the violence in Nandigram.
The CPI, Forward Bloc and RSP held an emergency meeting on Sunday and blamed the CPM for the situation in Nandigram, where at least 34 people have died since January in violence during agitations against proposed land acquisition for a Special Economic Zone (SEZ).
State PWD minister and senior RSP leader Kshiti Goswami said he had stopped attending office and would request his party to resign from the ministry to protest against the CPI-M's handling of the situation in Nandigram. "The CPI-M wants bloodshed just to recapture territory," Goswami alleged. “It’s the sole responsibility of the state government to protect people in Nandigram. I don't know if they are CPI-M or Trinamool activists. To me, they all are human beings.”
"I don't want to attend the office. I have communicated my decision to the party secretary and they would discuss in the party and take a decision. I have also decided not to use my official car," said Goswami.
The CPI-M’s Politburo met in Delhi but a senior party leader denied there was rift in the party. “Where are the cracks you are talking about? There is no divide (in the ruling Front),” Politburo member Sitaram Yechury said.
The party again criticised Bengal Governor Gopal Gandhi for “overstepping” his brief while commenting on Nandigram but said it would no seek his recall.
In Kolkata, the intelligentsia rallied behind a fasting Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar and other human rights activists as they boycotted a state-organised film festival and staged a blockade at Esplanade Sunday.
Several intellectuals were injured when police resorted to a baton-charge to prevent them from reaching Nandan, the venue of the Kolkata Film Festival. Filmmakers Aparna Sen and Rituparno Ghosh were prevented from taking out a protest rally, while another 30 intellectuals were arrested.
“People were peacefully protesting when they were fired at by the CPM cadres. An11-year-old boy was shot in his head. He’s okay now but he can't go home since his home in ashes,” said Aparna Sen.
Actress Moushumi Chatterjee said she would campaign for Nandigram victims in Mumbai and expose the CPI-M. Refusing to accept a Lifetime Award offered to her by a prominent Kolkata publication group, Chatterjee told IANS from Mumbai: "This is not the time to accept Lifetime Award from anybody. I think the CPI-M should instead start a 'life taking' award there."
Meanwhile, Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee made another attempt to reach on Nandigram. CPI-M men allegedly stopped her vehicle at Radhamonibazar after which she then rode the pillion of a motorcycle to reach the Tamluk hospital, where several people injured in Saturday's firing have been admitted. (With inputs from IANS) Source: http://www.ibnlive.com/news/allies-intellectuals-blame-cpm-for-nandigram/52093-3.html?xml
************************* More below: ************************
Biggies quit, Buddha in tizzy @http://www.dailypioneer.com/indexn12.asp?main_variable=front%5Fpage&file_name=story3%2Etxt&counter_img=3
November 11, 2007 -CNN:IBN
New Delhi/Kolkata: The CPI-M government in West Bengal is fighting with its back to the wall after its three junior allies and prominent intellectuals in the state blamed it for the violence in Nandigram.
The CPI, Forward Bloc and RSP held an emergency meeting on Sunday and blamed the CPM for the situation in Nandigram, where at least 34 people have died since January in violence during agitations against proposed land acquisition for a Special Economic Zone (SEZ).
State PWD minister and senior RSP leader Kshiti Goswami said he had stopped attending office and would request his party to resign from the ministry to protest against the CPI-M's handling of the situation in Nandigram. "The CPI-M wants bloodshed just to recapture territory," Goswami alleged. “It’s the sole responsibility of the state government to protect people in Nandigram. I don't know if they are CPI-M or Trinamool activists. To me, they all are human beings.”
"I don't want to attend the office. I have communicated my decision to the party secretary and they would discuss in the party and take a decision. I have also decided not to use my official car," said Goswami.
The CPI-M’s Politburo met in Delhi but a senior party leader denied there was rift in the party. “Where are the cracks you are talking about? There is no divide (in the ruling Front),” Politburo member Sitaram Yechury said.
The party again criticised Bengal Governor Gopal Gandhi for “overstepping” his brief while commenting on Nandigram but said it would no seek his recall.
In Kolkata, the intelligentsia rallied behind a fasting Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar and other human rights activists as they boycotted a state-organised film festival and staged a blockade at Esplanade Sunday.
Several intellectuals were injured when police resorted to a baton-charge to prevent them from reaching Nandan, the venue of the Kolkata Film Festival. Filmmakers Aparna Sen and Rituparno Ghosh were prevented from taking out a protest rally, while another 30 intellectuals were arrested.
“People were peacefully protesting when they were fired at by the CPM cadres. An11-year-old boy was shot in his head. He’s okay now but he can't go home since his home in ashes,” said Aparna Sen.
Actress Moushumi Chatterjee said she would campaign for Nandigram victims in Mumbai and expose the CPI-M. Refusing to accept a Lifetime Award offered to her by a prominent Kolkata publication group, Chatterjee told IANS from Mumbai: "This is not the time to accept Lifetime Award from anybody. I think the CPI-M should instead start a 'life taking' award there."
Meanwhile, Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee made another attempt to reach on Nandigram. CPI-M men allegedly stopped her vehicle at Radhamonibazar after which she then rode the pillion of a motorcycle to reach the Tamluk hospital, where several people injured in Saturday's firing have been admitted. (With inputs from IANS) Source: http://www.ibnlive.com/news/allies-intellectuals-blame-cpm-for-nandigram/52093-3.html?xml
************************* More below: ************************
Biggies quit, Buddha in tizzy @http://www.dailypioneer.com/indexn12.asp?main_variable=front%5Fpage&file_name=story3%2Etxt&counter_img=3
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