Andhra Pradesh   

Counter-offensive against banned Virasam launched

N. Rahul

Police take up campaign on justifying the imposition of ban

HYDERABAD: The police have taken up a campaign to justify the imposition of the ban on the Revolutionary Writers Association (Virasam) and counter the efforts to muster sympathy for the organisation by those who have claimed that its members are poets and that their freedom of expression is being stifled.

A 90-page book titled `Virasam' is being circulated to public representatives, including MPs and MLAs and intellectuals, to tell them about the `dangerous designs' of the organisation. It is a compendium of 30 documents of Marxist-Leninist-Maoist ideology, letters and press clippings.

The book traces the origin of Virasam as a literary front of the former CPI(ML) party in 1970. It is now a front organisation of the CPI(Maoist), operating through its organ Arunathara, a monthly journal. Underground and open cadre of Maoists contributed articles to it.

In constant touch

Varavara Rao, now in jail after the banning of the CPI(Maoist) and seven of its frontal organisations last month, was described as not an ordinary member of Virasam but as someone of the rank of Central Committee (CC) member of Maoists. He was in touch with the top leadership of Maoists on a "day-to-day basis."

Significantly, the book refers to Virasam as a mass organisation guided by party `fractions.' Functioning secretly, the fractions guided the executives of such organisations. A communication between two CC members of the former People's War — Prasad and Shyam — about meeting of the fraction of Virasam was enclosed. Fractional work involved penetration of its members into the organisations without exposing their links and mobilising masses for sectional interests with the aim of drawing them towards revolution.

Varavara's role

Letters focusing on the predominance of Mr. Varavara Rao in Virasam are documented in the book. A couple of them speak about former PW leader Kondapalli Seetaramaiah attending a Virasam meeting and Mr. Varavara Rao taking part in the PW's district committee meeting of Warangal.

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

Stories in this Section

Counter-offensive against banned Virasam launched
A grand reception
Clarification
Briefly

Copyright © 2005, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu