[Roopesh (left) & Shyna (right), Courtesy: Google]
Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies
Article #4877, 21 May 2015
http://www.ipcs.org/article/india/maoists-in-the-western-ghats-propaganda-or-substance-4877.html
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On
04th May 2015, in a bakery
at a village near Coimbatore, Roopesh and his wife Shyna were arrested in a
joint operation by the police of Andhra Pradesh,
Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The two have allegedly led Maoists in Kerala
for years and are key strategists for the left-wing extremists.
It is germane to mention that the Maoists are attempting to
push into northern Kerala for some time now. In November - December 2014, number
of incidents at Palakkad and Wayanad districts indicated Maoist presence.
The
latest issue (January-March 2015) of People’s
March is out in public domain. Among many diverse revolutionary topics
touched upon in the Maoist mouthpiece, the fundamental to be focused upon is
the Politico-Military Campaign (PMC) in the Western Ghats. The essay shoots
thus:
“Overcoming innumerable
obstacles and snatching initiative, PLGA fighters and urban action team
combatants led by the Western Ghats Special Zonal Committee (WGSZC) of the CPI
(Maoist) have opened up a new warfront in the State of Keralam.”
The matter
goes ahead further:
“Some of these actions were done in broad day light through bold
and rapid moves in urban centres, stunning the enemy and enthusing the people..”
The Maoists claim that “these actions were carried out as part
of a PMC carried out over a three month period, from November 2014 till January
2015”. Moreover, the ultras believe this ‘success’ to be a “qualitative turn”
in their revolutionary war. They admit that a similar initiative undertaken a decade
earlier had been muted in the states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala by the
security forces.
In fact, an abysmal failure on the part of the ultras pushed
them to form the Western Ghat Special Zonal Committee [WGSZC] to propel
forward. The document tells that the Maoists had started to systematically
infiltrate the tri-junction of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu & Kerala from May 2012
itself from their base at Malnad. Since February 2013, when the presence of the
Maoists was exposed to the security forces, according to the narrative, the
extremists developed contacts with the adivasi masses, practically and
simultaneously propagated revolutionary politics and the necessity of armed
struggle. The PLGA cadres also studied the socioeconomic conditions of the
region. In parallel, the Maoists fought in the plane of propaganda against
their ex-comrades, whom they with derision term “exalites”- who had dismissed
the Maoist expansion in Kerala.
As per their suo-moto admission, the region of concentration of
the Maoists in Kerala is inhabited by fifty odd adivasi tribes engaged in
agriculture and herding. The Maoists, quite expectedly, have chosen their area
of expansion having large concentration of agricultural and plantation workers
– spanning both adivasis and dalits.
Historically, the Maoists attempt to gain strength and credence
from the proud history of fierce resistance to British colonialism by the
Kurichya adivasis during the late 18th and early 19th century in the Wayanad
area. Wayanad was also one of the main areas of revolutionary struggles in
Kerala during the armed peasant rebellion of Naxalbari.
Finally, the essay zooms out by saying that this particular
campaign at the tri-junction and consequent foray into Kerala defies the tall
claims of the Indian state that the Maoist movement is confined in the Central
and Eastern spheres of India only.
Now, the pertinent issue is what could be gleaned out of the
analysis of the narrative?
First, this ought to be construed as a major propaganda construct
by the Maoists than reality. Though it is a matter of fact that reports
confirmed Maoist presence at the Tri-junction of the three Indian provinces, however
just a mere presence does not mean establishment of a guerrilla base. The
presence is qualitative; no quantitative factors have been posited by the
guerrilla group.
Second, the Maoists are still using the term PLGA – which
categorically proves that they are still far off from the third and decisive
phase of guerrilla warfare – that is, the Strategic Offense phase with the
People’s Liberation Army being ready for a conventional war.
Third, the claims of attracting the youth and the urban folk
must be taken less seriously. The fact remains that certain issues related to
the urban proletariat and the students may allow the Maoists to creep in and
generate a wave of sympathy amongst the urban youth and intellectuals; the
Maoist movement is hundreds of miles away from gaining a considerable foothold
in the growing urban network in India.
Nonetheless, a stream of aid from the city bases – howsoever
fledgling, is a cause of worry for the security and intelligence forces of the
Indian state. Also the fact that educated, yet disgruntled individuals like the
law graduate Roopesh taking to left-wing extremism implies that cities and
towns would continue to provide shelters and logistics to the ultras.
Fourth, such an attempted expansion towards the southern part of
the sub-continent indicates that the Maoists are trying hard to break the
stranglehold of the counter-insurgency operations unleashed by the security
forces since the last four to five years. Moreover, by diversifying their
bases, the Maoists are keeping their ‘Plan B option’ open. If indeed they are
forced to evacuate their primary stronghold of Abujhmaad, they can re-settle in
the new guerrilla base.
Nevertheless, it could be safely admitted that a serious attempt
has been made by the Maoists to intrude the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and
Kerala. They are targeting the adivasi and dalit masses who live in marginal
conditions. Militarily too, they are studying the geography of the region to
create vantage points in order to ambush the police forces. Political propaganda
is on. It would however, be prudent for the police forces and the law and order
authorities to take their positions. It is however heartening to find that
joint operations by the police forces of the four southern states are in swing
– well compounded by intelligence inputs.
- Dr Uddipan Mukherjee, IOFS (ADMINISTRATION) [OFB, Min of Defence]
Views
expressed are author’s own
