Sambit Ratha asked: What are the substantiations behind Indian Maoists' alleged foreign (China, Pakistan, Corporates and NGOs) links? Is it arguable that Maoists are being/can be used as mercenaries in corporate rivalries?

P.V. Ramana replies: The Maoists have a range of linkages –– internal and external. Internal linkages include ties with fraternal groups. The Maoists do not have linkages with corporate groups. They extort money from a variety of sources which also includes contractors, businesses –– big and small –– and industry. The annual extortion by the Maoists is anywhere between Rs. 140 – 160 cr. It is erroneous to think, let alone argue, that the Maoists are being used, or are likely to be used in corporate rivalries.

The Maoists have fraternal linkages with like-minded groups across the world stretching from Peru to the Philippines. There is no evidence to suggest that the Maoists have linkages with either China or Pakistan.

The Maoists are members of some fraternal organisations which are now defunct. These include World People’s Resistance Movement - South Asia (WPRM-South Asia) and Coordination Committee of Maoist Parties and Organisations of South Asia (CCOMPOSA). On one occasion, in 2001, a Central Committee Member of the Nepalese Maoists, Chandra Prasad Gajurel alias Gaurav, had attended the Congress of the Maoists.

Further, a Central Committee Member of the Maoists, Kopad Ghandy, had visited Canada and countries in Europe such as Norway, Germany, Belgium and the United Kingdom and met with people sharing like-minded views. These linkages and the visit has not yielded any money (finances) or weapons for the Maoists. At best, it gave them exposure, very limited though, on the international stage.

Posted on February 23, 2018