KOLKATA: : Left-wing ultras have revised their strategy by deciding to mobilise support in the urban areas as well, particularly in eastern India. Prior to this, the guerillas had been focusing on the rural population.
According to a communique from CPI(Maoist) general Muppala Lakshmana Rao aka Ganapathy, “along with the peasantry in the villages we also need to raise consciousness among the middle class in the urban areas about Maoist movement and mobilise them for our cause”.
“At a time we did gain the support of the middle class in the urban areas through mass movement but it could not be sustained. For that we need to expand our influence both in the rural and urban areas,” he stressed.
A directive spelling out the present tasks and strategies has been sent to the state committees in Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and particularly West Bengal.
The guerillas have analysed their past mistakes of resorting to annihilation of some people, who were poor villagers, suspecting them of being police informers or even those who belonged to the mainstream political parties instead of trying to convince them and win them over to the “popular movement”. Jangalmahal, comprising four districts in Western Bengal, has ceased to be a Maoist stronghold.
As part of “self criticism”, Ganapathy said, “During our rectification process, we might fall prey to two kinds of deviations-- right or left. To over assess the enemy’s strength and our weaknesses will mislead to right deviation. The tendency to engage in guerilla warfare without adopting measures for self -defence is the left deviation which will weaken the organisation,” he further said.