The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Regrouping of naxalites in Telangana on

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 06, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Regrouping of naxalites in Telangana on

By N. Rahul

WARANGAL, OCT. 5. Naxalites of the People's War (PW) and other extremist outfits are having a free run of Telangana villages, thanks to the changed policy of the Congress Government towards them.

The villagers are equally at peace and happy with the police suspending search operations in their habitations, a pre-condition for `ceasefire' for the peace talks between the Government on the one hand and the PW and the Janashakti on the other.

New-found freedom

The new-found freedom is being fully exploited by naxalites. They are freely recruiting cadres, regrouping themselves, resorting to collection of huge amounts of money and trading in weapons. Hundreds of rural youths are being drawn into the naxalite movement in sharp contrast to the diminishing strength of PW militants when the Chandrababu Naidu Government was at the helm.

Tummala Haribabu, Mandal Parishad president of Govindaraopet, a hotbed of naxal activity in Warangal district, said: "The level of recruitment is unbelievable. From the stage of extinction, naxalites have reached a commanding position."

Courier system

Police officials admitted to The Hindu that the PW was developing a new courier system and activating its militants and sympathisers. Having learnt a bitter lesson in the past by recruiting cadres indiscriminately, the PW is ensuring that renegades did not enter the party.

With the exception of the PW, all the smaller extremist outfits are making the best use of the `glasnost' by indulging in extortions. Not even small shopkeepers and farmers are spared. The PW is known for its `dignified' way of collecting big amounts as donation from contractors and richer sections. The outfits are also busy constructing huge memorials for their martyrs.

It is not as if the PW has shed caution to allow its cadre to visit villages freely. The party has maintained utmost secrecy in contacting villagers. The PW has sought the opinion of villagers on the crucial issue whether it should go for talks with the Government and whether to lay down arms as demanded by the Government.

Villagers are quite willing to open up even with strangers about naxalites and the Government talks with the outfits. Fear is no longer the key. Muttaiah of Butaram village, near Eturunagaram, said that it was no longer difficult to go into the nearby forest for fear of the police. Maraboina Saraiah, a CPI-ML activist of Gandhinagar village, said the time was ripe for all groups to conduct (illegal) panchayats.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh