HYDERABAD: Notwithstanding the failure of Maoists to enthuse people in the revolutionary movement, the movement itself is being reduced to an armed conflict between naxalite squads and the police.

This frank opinion was aired by a top naxalite leader, Cherukuri Raj Kumar alias Gangadhar, in a recent letter sent to the former emissary of Maoists in the peace talks, Varavara Rao. Raj Kumar, a Polit Bureau member of the CPI(Maoist) and State incharge, was critical of the inability of the party leadership to encash on the `favourable' situation during the peace initiative.

"Despite the situation turning favourable to us, we have failed to involve even a small section of people out of the lakhs who attended our meetings to agitate against Government policies," he said.

The letter seized from two couriers, who were arrested recently, throws light on the thinking of the party leadership on the revolutionary movement, particularly after the failure of talks.

The leader disagreed with the decision to kill eight villagers of Vempenta in Kurnool district on March 1. "Vempenta incident should not have occurred. We should have punished some after the court gave verdict in the clash case." Such incidents antagonised media which was, by and large, favourably disposed to the Maoist party. Ever since the purported statement by Ramakrishna (on making bodies of those killed by naxalites disappear), media had changed its stand and equated naxalites with the police in respect of committing violence.

Interestingly, Mr. Raj Kumar points out that the issue of causing disappearance of the bodies came up for discussion at the State Committee meeting, which thought it was not a good idea. However, Mr. Raj Kumar said he did not believe that Mr. Ramakrishna issued the statement.

Police onslaught

Referring to the police onslaught against naxalite cadre, Mr. Raj Kumar maintained that the "biggest victory (for Maoists) will be to protect themselves from police attacks." He cautioned that any desperate retaliatory actions by the cadre against police killings would lead to further losses. The leader pointed out that a united action front to expose the Government should be formed immediately. He felt that the Government ordered a crackdown on naxalites only because of the evolution of the CPI(Maoist) as an alternative political party.

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