Days after the Indian-American professor Shailaja Paik received a $ 800,000 ‘genius’ grant from Mac Arthur foundation for her writings on Dalit issues, a controversy has erupted surrounding the Cincinnati based author/professor following a video featuring her name in a conversation has gone viral on the social media platform.
Hailing from Pune of Maharashtra, Paik a professor in history at the university of Cincinnati is reported to be first in the university and only among the handful of 10 individual from the US State Ohio to receive the ‘genius’ grant.
Known for her books on Dalit issues such as “Dalit Women Education in Modern India: Double Discrimination” and “The Vulgarity of Caste: Dalits, Sexuality, and Humanity in Modern India” the Cincinnati’s university professor’s receiving of the award has sparked row after her name popped up during a conversation between a senior journalist and an author on a discussion over the broader network of urban cadres of the banned CPI (Maoist).
In a candid conversation with a senior journo of Republic TV, one of the author of the book namely “The Four Attempts on Narendra Modi’s life”, Binay Kumar Singh has disclosed about the letters exchanged between the alleged urban cadres of the CPI (Maoist), revealing details linked to a ploy hatched against PM Narendra Modi, similar to assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
According to the disclosure made by the author in its book, the Eastern Regional Bureau (ERB) headed by notorious Prashant Bose (currently in custody after the Jharkhand police apprehended him in the year 2021) passed a resolution against the Modi government in the year 2015, after it secured a majority in the parliament following the 2014 general elections, noting the development as a threat to the Maoist revolution.
The ERB further sent a proposal to the Maoist’s Central Committee (CC) to approve an assassination attempt to be made on incumbent PM, terming it suicidal but required. According to the author, the CC of the CPI (Maoist) then approved the proposal and allotted the funds subsequently.
The letters exchanged between the top cadres has revealed that a plot was being hatched to target the PM with sophisticated weapon like long range snipers, which the Maoist outfit was set to procure from Nepal with the assistance of its ‘Manipur’ based cadres and delivering it subsequently at Odisha-Chhattisgarh border via Kolkata, by dissembling and refitting the parts of the weapon in heavy electrical appliances.
The author during the conversation has claimed, that the said letter was written by Rona Wilson to Prakash Teltumbde in the year 2017, where he specifically mentioned about the Rs 8 crore fund, allotted by the Central Committee along the make of the rifle/sniper to be used in the assassination attempt.
Wilson in the letter has further mentioned, “that we are thinking along the lines of another Rajiv Gandhi type incident.” He further while expressing concern over the proposed attempt has said that “it sounds suicidal and there is good chance that we might fail but we feel that the party must deliberate our proposal,” asserting that targeting roadshows could be an effective strategy.
Singh has further cited, that the pictures of the said snipers were also shared among the top cadres to finalise the procurement, however the plan was thwarted much before its execution, following a thorough investigation conducted by the Pune police aftermath of the Bhima-Koregaon Elgaar Parishad violence leading to unmasking of the urban group of the Maoists.
He also has referred about the connections of top Naxal leaders, underground leaders and urban naxals, (a term commonly referred for a group of people who either sympathises or work for the Maoist’s cause in urban areas) with people settled in distant lands working as intellectuals, professors, activists, who have been facilitating or willing to facilitate visits of these people to attend human rights conferences held worldwide along facilitating their lectures on caste and Dalit issues.
Quoting from the letters exchanged between the accused, the author revealed that in one of the conversation an accused in the case is referring about the willingness of university of Cincinnati and France to hold guest lectures of people associated with the urban groups of Maoists.
“Please Coordinate with our friends in America and France, Comrade Anupama Rao and Comrade Shailja Paik have agreed to invite you for guest lectures. At least twice a year, they can invite for guest lectures at their respective universities in Paris and Cincinnati, both very much interested in studying caste violence and discrimination on minorities in modern India. Some of the Central Committee leaders will also consider interview request of foreign activists such as professor Etheen Balibar, quoted the letter.
Check the names in last One minute in thisvideo on Plans to Assassinate @narendramodi by Urban Naxals – Comrade Anupama Rao and Comrade Shailaja Paik – Where did you hear that last name – Cpl of days ago McArthur Foundation 800,000 USD Genius grant – https://t.co/PCMYSy8RNd https://t.co/DbNmGd4rGy pic.twitter.com/izCK1xiCdw
— Vijay (@centerofright) October 7, 2024
The revelation has now sparked a controversy, prompting critical reactions from many of the social media users who have expressed astonishment over the revelation since one of the clip of the conversation has gone viral on the internet.
They had planned to E£iminate #Modi Ji.
They had planned his execution in #Manipur in public rally by using Sniper Rifles.
They are Urban Naxals arrested in Bhima-Koregaon Case.
Is this why entire Lefti$t & Piddi system wanted Modi Ji to visit Manipur?pic.twitter.com/e4Hry3OYPW
— BhikuMhatre (@MumbaichaDon) October 8, 2024
Strategy and Tactics of Indian Revolution and Caste fault lines
The disclosure made by the author has once again stirred a debate on the Strategy and Tactics of Indian Revolution (STIR), a document released by the Maoist at the time of the merger between the two prominent Maoist’s outfit i.e. the People’s War Group (PWG) and the Maoist Communist Centre of India (MCCI) to emerge as CPI (Maoist) in 2004.
It is pertinent to mention here, that the CPI Maoist in its document prepared at the time of the merger had talked comprehensively about working in the urban areas to strengthen the cause of the group, defined in the ‘urban perspective’ chapter of the aforesaid document.
Years later in 2007, the Maoist redefined the said document as Urban Perspective on working in Urban Areas (UPUA), with an aim to concentrate on furthering the activities of the group in urban areas, given difficulties in finding more cadres for guerrilla warfare in forested zones of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Maharashtra and undivided Andhra Pradesh.
It must be noted, that playing on the fault lines have always been the part and parcel of the Maoists strategy and the outfit has a documented resolve to deepen the caste fault lines in the country with an aim to mobilise caste based militant groups in violence activities to support the cause of a broader revolution, which according to the group will eventually replace the current democratic setup.
Violence at the Bhima-Koregaon, following fiery speeches made at the Elgaar Parishad as surfaced in the investigation could also be considered a glaring example of how exploiting the fault lines to instigate caste based hatred could lead to unrest in the society.
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