Southern States - Andhra Pradesh   

A last-ditch effort by PW to stay afloat?

By K. Srinivas Reddy

HYDERABAD June 13. Does the sudden upsurge in naxalite violence indicate growing strength of the extremists in Andhra Pradesh?

The seemingly unbridled violence by the People's War (PW) cadres outwardly projects the picture of the revolutionary movement gaining ground in new areas. But on the contrary, the stepped up violence is intended to sustain the naxalite movement which is now undergoing a worst crisis in the State.

The well coordinated outbreak of violence in different districts is the outcome the strategy that an intensified counter-offensive could only breathe life into the revolutionary movement at a time when it faced a series of reversals due to a variety of factors, chief among them is the military successes of the State police.

The movement in North Telangana (NT), which was once hailed as in "advanced stage'' is now described as being in an "ebb'' phase and consciously the PW thinktank had decided to take up an intensified Tactical Counter Offensive Campaign (TCOC) in other areas to deflect the State's attention. In other words the PW's belief is that the revolutionaries should concentrate on consolidating the party at the time of "tide'' of revolution and resorting to counter offensive at the "ebb'' of the revolution.

This strategic shift in focus came about some three years ago when the PW leadership decided to unleash a violent TCOC in areas controlled by the A.P. State Committee and the Andhra-Orissa Border Special Zonal Committee (AOBSZC). Their plan was to engage the ill-prepared police forces in non-NT districts with stepped up violence, while in NT calculated elimination of single targets was to be taken up on a larger scale.

The recent incidents of the attacks on police stations, the famine raids, the regular killings of political leaders in different districts and the continuing "famine raids'' and looting of banks are to be viewed in this backdrop. But again, the intensity of the actions raises another basic question whether such actions can attract people to join the revolutionary movement. In other words, the big question that stares is whether such offensive attacks can be transformed into political struggle to help seize the political power, the ultimate aim of the revolution.

The PW leadership, party documents indicate, believes that squad actions are necessary to maintain the morale of "people'' and only such actions would prepare them for the revolution. This belief had indeed led to some serious debate among members of the PW Central Committee (CC) and the Politburo.

Those opposing this strategy were understood to have differed with their comrades pointing out that this strategy would effectively negate the basic Marxist principle that forms of struggles should strictly be according to the level of people's consciousness irrespective of "ebb and tide'' of the revolution. However, the PW leadership is stated to be of the firm view that an intense counter offensive was the need of the hour to create some "space'' required for furthering the revolutionary cause.

The attacks on "single targets,'' especially on the mandal or district level political leaders is to nullify the "political will'' in opposing the naxalites, while attacks on police stations is intended to "neutralise'' the initiative of the police. Analysts say that the PW is trying to attract people by selectively killing the usurious elements or by attacking the traditional structures of exploitation through "famine raids.''

However, the police top brass argues that all such strategies had failed miserably in North Telangana districts where the PW held sway for over a decade. "The PW had indeed suffered a setback in North Telangana and it would do so in other areas. It's only a matter of time,'' the police officers say confidently.

Naxals rob rural bank

By Our Staff Reporter

GUNTUR, JUNE 13. People's War naxalites attacked the Sri Chaitanya Grameena Bank at Pedakodamagundla in Karampudi mandal of the Palnadu area in Guntur district and looted gold and cash worth about Rs.4 lakhs this afternoon.

According to information reaching here, four armed naxalites belonging to the Krishnapatti dalam came to the bank around 3.50 p.m and snatched gold worth Rs.2 lakhs mortgaged by farmers with the bank and cash at gunpoint. The branch manager, Babu Rao, was disbursing money to customers at that time.

The naxalites completed the operation within 15 minutes and walked away. It may be mentioned here that the militants robbed the bank despite deployment of police forces in the Palnadu area for combing operations.

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