Weakened after the security forces' crackdown after the Bhima-Koregaon incident, Maoists are out to rebuild their urban cadre.
The Indian Express reported that Maoists have successfully rebuilt their cadres in some urban centres like Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Delhi and Kolkata; the work to rebuild cadres in other cities is underway.
“Following a heavy crackdown on their urban leadership during the Bhima-Koregaon strife in 2018, the Maoists have started rebuilding their urban networks and seven central committee members of the CPI (Maoist) have been deputed to implement the plan,” The Indian Express quoted their sources.
It added, “The Maoists have already reorganised their networks in Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Delhi and Kolkata, among other cities. They have appointed organisers in urban areas and have been conducting regular Zoom meetings to discuss and implement the agenda.”
What has worried the security agencies is the penetration of the Maoists in prominent Indian universities like Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Jadavpur University.
“Maoists are trying to tap into the social and communal divide caused by politics of caste and religion. They are attempting to win the support of the members of the working class, Dalits and minorities, especially Muslims. The rebels want to radicalise youngsters and already have a strong network in premier universities of Delhi and Kolkata”, The Indian Express quoted.
The Maoists are working on developing guerrilla cadres for the cities. “What is alarming, however, is that they are planning to use guerrilla warfare tactics in a big way by developing an urban militia.”
Maoists are also working to revive the networks in neighbouring countries, Nepal and Bangladesh. “The other major Maoist plan is to put in place a coordination network among like-minded outfits in India, Bangladesh and Nepal. They want to facilitate unhindered movement of left-wing extremists in these territories and exchange arms, ammunition and information.”
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