CPI-Maoist declares its presence in Kerala

M.P. Prashanth

HURRY! GEMS Portfolio closing on 15th Feb'08

KOZHIKODE: For the first time since its inception in 2004, the CPI-Maoist has come out in open with a statement from its state organising committee confirming the outfit's presence in the state.

The statement from Mohan, the state organising secretary, says that many in the CPI and the CPM are co-operating with Maoists in Kerala and that they are covertly working for the organisation.

Till now the Maoists have been operating in the state under the cover of the Revolutionary People's Front (RPF), the frontal organisation formed in July 2007.

But now they have decided to declare their presence after they found that the developments after the arrest of their central committee member Malla Raja Reddy are turning to their favour.

The CPI-Maoist formed its state organising committee way back in 2005. It has full-fledged district committees in Wayanad, Kozhikode, Kannur and Palakkad.

Raja Reddy, who is known as Sathyanna among Maoists, has been deputed to co-ordinate the party activities in Kerala. He is the secretary of the party's south west regional bureau which includes Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

The Maoists do not intend to replicate the activities they are engaged in their liberated zones in areas like Dandakaranya. In Kerala, the Maoists will be concentrating more on land agitations and price hike.

They feel that the supporters of Left parties are dejected over their stand on vital social issues. The attempt is on to wean away the disgruntled elements in the traditional Communist parties.

The Maoists in Kerala are in the initial phase of the protracted people's war which means that stress will be on party-building and squad work.  During this period the Maoists will be keeping a low profile and they would avoid any engagement with the security agencies.

The coming days will witness more activities on the part of the RPF which will be organising functions related to land issues at Ernakulam and Wayanad.

There are also attempts to form a students organisation to attract the the SFI activists who are at loggerheads with the official faction of the outfit.

Revolutionary Students Front is the name temporarily suggested for the organisation.

The statement from state organising secretary says that the Maoist will be engaged in working against the pro-imperialist policies pursued by the Centre and the State Governments.

"Sixty years of parliamentary practice has only added to the woes of the people. The arrest of Sathyanna has been presented with an element of mystery by the government.

Maoists have been in contact with people from various segments of society who have realised the hollowness of both fronts," the statement said.

The statement says that People's March editor P. Govindan Kutty is in no way related to the CPI-Maoist. People's March is not the mouthpiece of the CPI-Maoist.

"Whether the CPI-Maoist is a banned organisation or not is not an issue to be discussed in connection with the arrest of Govindan Kutty," the statement said.