Naxals turn urban
Regretting that they havent paid adequate attention to urban areas, the Naxals have identified some critical urban belts. Their mission: embark on creating both open and undercover urban militia that will supply cadre to strengthen peoples war in rural areas and help create liberated zones. A booklet seized during a raid on Naxal leaders Hemchandra Pandey and Azad, who were later killed, allegedly in an false encounter, clearly lists out urban priorities, saying that it was a blunder not to have looked at urban areas with the kind of seriousness it deserved and that without it the larger goal of real peoples revolution cant be accomplished.
The document titled Shahari kaam ke bare mein, published in 2008, identifies nine different belts for its urban action plan:
Ahmedabad-Pune corridor, New Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Coimbatore-Erode belt, Hyderabad, Kolkata, industrial cities of central India and cities on the Gangetic plains.
We have failed to understand the clash between the urban and rural agitations and we are guilty of utter neglect of urban work, the document admits. Along with a wider and deeper public support, we have failed to develop a strong and impactful undercover system (gupta pranali) to keep the party safe in urban areas. As a result, we are feeling a serious crunch of able and experienced cadres, the document says.
The document lays down what it calls
battle perspective.
We must have an elaborate revolutionary struggle plan, both armed and otherwise, for urban areas which will be suitable for a long-term peoples war that is first liberating rural areas and later taking control of urban areas, it says. With this long-term perspective, we must develop a strong undercover party, a
revolutionary united front and urban guerrilla squads and militia, it says, adding, we must be able to send cadres to rural areas who could be sourced from workers recruited from unorganised sector.
It says, Urban organisations will also help establish supply lines to our organisation in rural areas for many things such as arms and ammunition, machines and their parts and medicines.
It even advocates encouraging ghettos of the urban disadvantaged sections on the lines of Muslim ghettos. The Muslim ghettos have been caused by increasing Hindu fascism. For the Muslims, it has become a necessity so that they can unitedly defend themselves. All the plans of our party must take the process of ghettoisation seriously.
Observing that the population scales are tilting towards urban areas, the document observes that the economy is no more centred around villages. In 1950-51, 56 per cent of the GDP came from villages. Now it has gone down to 25 per cent, it observes.
The document critically looks at the nine urban areas it aims to target for its urban plan. The Ahmedabad-Pune corridor is engineering, chemical, textile, auto, communications and electronics hub. The working class here is most diverse since it comes from all parts of the country, it says. Delhi is basically dominated by North Indian workers, while Bengaluru is an IT hub, it goes on while discussing the peculiarities of each zone.
In the end, the document elaborately discusses how to go about building the movement in urban areas. Creating a strong and undercover party by harnessing the struggle of the disadvantaged working class, creating a joint front of working class with other sections of the urban society such as the
Dalits and women and undertaking military activities are the three main tasks laid down in the document.
While saying that the military activity in urban areas would mainly be of defence (atmarakshatmak), it, however, stresses the need to have resistance squads (pratirodh daste) for armed resistance to tackle peoples enemies. Identifying organised gangs, Hindu and social fascist organisations and their killer gangs, state-sponsored vigilante gangs and armed state forces as enemy armies aiding the ruling classes, the document says, It will not be proper for us to go into a confrontationist mode with the ruling powers at this stage, nor are we going to do that, but we must create volunteer (self-defensive) and resistance organisations if the situation so demands.
The document envisages creation of volunteer squads out of trade unions and peoples organisations. They will act against strike-busters, goonda gangs, those dishonouring women, c
ommunal elements in riots and displacement of people due to so-called development projects. Gymnasiums, martial arts centres, sports clubs are examples of such volunteer groups, it says.
It lays down basics for militia groups, which would work in a hidden manner as part of guerrilla armies. It also recommends
quality arms training to the members of militia.
No body want someone else pointing a finger at he's/hers problems. 
