Ground reality: Naxals Buddha146;s enemy No. 1

Even before the police firing on March 14 at Nandigram leading to the deaths of 14 villagers, the state police had warned the authorities that Naxalites had set up bases in the area with arms and ammunition.

In fact, during raids following the first outbreak of violence in January, the police had arrested three Naxalites, all students of Jadavpur University, equipped with a laptop from a remote village in Nandigram.

Earlier, in December last year, the CPI-ML Liberation sent two state committee members with 22 student-comrades from Jadavpur and other institutions to resist the fencing of the land meant for the Tata small car project in Singur. Police arrested all of them.

Even at Hind Motor, the CITU, the CPIM8217;s labour wing, found its union on the backfoot when a breakaway faction led by the Naxals forced the management to declare a suspension of work. The CITU, known as the root of all strikes, found itself criticising the breakaway faction8217;s tactics and supporting the management.

The Naxals have even managed to link up with some partner of the CPIM in the Left Front at all these trouble spots. Thus, at Nandigram, the Naxals were initially supported by local leaders of the Communist Party of India CPI. At north Bengal8217;s tea gardens, the Naxals got the support of the local leaders of the Revolutionary Socialist Party. At Hind Motor, Naxal leader Amitava Bhattacharya got the support of CPI leader and Member of Parliament Gurudas Dasgupta.

Dipankar Bhattacharya, all-India General Secretary of the CPIML Liberation, says the CPIM will make a blunder if it thinks that Nandigram and Singur are its success stories. 8220;If they think their actions represent the Red flag, they are making a mistake and we will give a befitting reply,8221; he said.

Bhattacharya says that his party has already developed extensive contacts with the people at the lowest level, and it is trying to explain to them that the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Government8217;s actions are anti-poor, especially against small and marginal farmers, and the landless labour.

CPIM sources say their district reports have confirmed that the Naxalites are spreading a campaign against the Government among the people and also among the CPIM8217;s lower levels. At Dhaniakhali in Hooghly district, the Naxals have been using a former CPIM leader, Mahadeb Murmu, to campaign against the CPIM.

Sometime back, the tension reached a flashpoint and the local CPIM cadres attacked Murmu8217;s people and left six persons seriously injured.

Kartick Pal, state secretary of the CPI-ML Liberation, claims that a large number of CPIM cadres are contacting them to voice their protest against Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee8217;s policies.