New Delhi: The banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) has purportedly announced a temporary ceasefire from the armed struggle, expressing willingness to engage in peace talks with the government following unprecedented setbacks to its organisational strength after its senior leadership was killed in encounters.
In a “press release” dated 15 August, which only surfaced Tuesday, the central committee’s spokesperson Abhay is believed to have said that the outfit has also urged the government to help disseminate the ceasefire message to all its cadres in jail and across the country through Doordarshan and Akashvani.
Abhay—an alias for senior leader Mallojula Venugopal, also known as Bhupati and Sonu—is a member of the Maoist organisation’s politbureau and central committee.
The offer, if genuine, could mark a major shift in Maoist strategy, although some security officials are sceptical, saying it might be a diversionary tactic or could reflect a split within the ranks amid a succession struggle following the death of senior leader Basavaraju in an encounter in May.
“To take forward the process of peace talks which started on the initiative of the honourable general secretary of our party, we are making it clear that given the changed circumstances in the world and country, we have decided to lay down our arms in view of the continuous requests from the prime minister of the country, the home minister to the senior police officers, to give up arms and join the mainstream. It has been decided to declare a temporary halt to the armed conflict,” Abhay is said to have written in the purported press release in Hindi.
“We are making it clear that, in future, we will fight shoulder-to-shoulder with all political parties and conflict organisations as far as possible on public issues. We are ready for talks on this subject with the central home minister or his appointees or the delegation. But the party will have to be made aware of our changed views. This will become our responsibility. Later, within the party, we will clarify the stance of those who agree or oppose this, and prepare a delegation from those who agree to participate in the peace talks,” the statement added. “The forests that are red with blood can only be turned into forests of peace if the government collectively takes this stand.”
Sources in the security establishment said that the “press release” is likely from the banned outfit, adding that if it’s fake, the outfit will release a statement shortly, or clear the confusion around its delayed release.
Bastar Range Inspector General of Police Sundraraj Pattilingam said that the authority to decide on such proposals vests purely with the government, and a call will be taken after consideration and assessment.
“We have taken note of a press release issued in the name of the CPI (Maoist) Central Committee regarding the laying down of arms and the prospect of peace talks. The authenticity of this release is being verified, and its contents are under careful examination. It is reiterated that any decision on engagement or dialogue with the CPI (Maoist) lies solely with the government, which will take an appropriate call after due consideration and assessment of the situation and circumstances,” he told ThePrint.
Sources confirmed that no calls or orders have been given to slow down or stop the anti-Naxal operations in any affected states or even preparations for it as of now.
Amid doubts over the statement’s authenticity, a source told ThePrint, “First of all, the statement has used honorifics for PM and Home Minister, which is not the usual writing style for Maoists. The language used in the statement does not indicate that it originated from the Maoists.”
Referring to other factors, such as the use of photographs of Abhay in the statements issued in English and Hindi versions, the source added, “These are very unusual styles. The statement can not be entirely junked as of now, but there are some really unusual patterns here.”
However, some security officials pointed to the use of similar honorifics in statements released in May this year as well, and attributed the usage to “desperation” and the Maoists running out of options.
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‘Possible distracting strategy, case of vertical split’
Some officials in the security establishment are sceptical about the assurances made in the statement, and the gap between its issuance and release to the press and broader audience.
“This could just be another distracting strategy. They are masters at it, considering this comes naturally to guerrilla forces like them. The release was issued on 15 August, and it has come out a month later. In between, encounters have taken place in which sophisticated weapons such as AK-47s have been recovered. Some teachers have been killed in Chhattisgarh. Their words in the release and actions when it was supposed to be a period of ceasefire do not match,” a security official told ThePrint, requesting anonymity.
On the other hand, some said that if they had indeed laid down their arms temporarily in exchange for peace talks and a return to mainstream, the decision may have been influenced by the opinion of Sonu, a frontrunner to lead the Maoist outfit after the killing of Nambala Keshava Rao, also known as Basavaraju, in an encounter in May.
“This could also be a case of split opinions within the party. Those who agree with Sonu have decided to temporarily give up armed means of struggle. On the contrary, others remain who do not agree to this ceasefire proposal,” another official in the security establishment told ThePrint.
Sonu is considered more of a political figure in the Maoist ranks, while Thippiri Tirupathi, alias Devuji, is regarded as a military figure among Maoist ranks.
Senior police officers across Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Odisha see the race to succeed Basavaraju as a two-way race between Mallujola Venugopal and Thippiri Tirupathi.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
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