‘Maoists cannot be hired’

source

BHUBANESWAR, Oct 17: Maoists are not professional assassins, retorted Mr P Vara Vara Rao of the Revolutionary Writers Association of Andhra Pradesh while reacting to reports that the minority community had hired Maoists to assassinate VHP leader Laxmanananda Saraswati. “Those who dish out such cock and bull stories are ignorant of the history of Naxal movement in this country. Maoists cannot be ‘hired’,” he asserted.
Mr Rao had spent three days in Kandhamal and was replying to questions at a Press conference here today when he made the statement.
Asked why Maoists had killed Laxmanananda Saraswati, Mr Rao said: “The operation was perhaps in line with deliberations at their last party congress wherein fundamentalism was considered the second biggest threat, after globalisation, to the poor of the country…I am not their spokesperson, but I think they wanted to send a clear message across to the fundamentalists and divisive forces.”
Significantly, he recalled that after the December 2007 violence in Kandhamal district, leaders of the Peoples War had denied their involvement and had also said that if they had been involved they would have killed Laxmanananda Saraswati and not poor tribals or dalits.
Now, the Naxals have claimed responsibility of killing Laxmanananda Saraswati, but shockingly, others like political parties and Sangh Parivar and vested interest groups refuse to accept it.
“The entire game plan is to get electoral benefit. The fundamentalist forces want to rid the country of minorities and some political parties feel this suits their vote bank,” he alleged. “Organisations like the SIMI which believe that communism, capitalism and secularism have failed and Islamism is the only option are termed as terrorist outfit and are banned but an outfit like Bajrang Dal or VHP which wants a Hindu Rashtra are not deemed as terrorist organisations,” he observed

India: Maoists expanding Red areas of activities

13 Oct 2008

JEYPORE: Have Maoists of KBK region established a new base in Narayanpatna in Koraput, bordering Orissa-Andhra Pradesh to spread their activities to Kandhamal?   The question is now haunting the police administration and intelligence agencies working in both the States. The killing of two top Maoists near Narayanpatna two days back in an encounter is a pointer towards the question. Considering backwardness of the region and inaction of the administration, the Maoists have started their operation first in Malkangiri in 1980s. Since then, Malkangiri has been the base area of Maoists of Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh. Over the years, they have expanded their base to whole of southern Orissa. In recent years, there have been frequent Maoist attacks in Naranyanpatna putting the police on their toes. Despite presence of CRPF and armed forces in Narayanpatna, Maoist-related incidents continue to occur in the area.       Having over 1,000 km radius of dense forests that border the two States, this area has lately turned into a haven for the Maoist led People’s War.  Sources said that due to frequent police raids in Malkangiri, the Maoists have shifted their base to Narayanpatna and their meetings are mostly conducted in this area. As many as 10 encounters have been recorded by in this area during the last few weeks. The inaccessible hilly terrain makes it their favourable hideout.