CPN-Maoist CC Members Press Leadership For Forming Army

KIRAN PUN
KATHMANDU, Nov 4: Almost all members airing their views at the ongoing central committee meeting of newly-formed CPN-Maoist have exerted pressure on the party leadership to clearly announce that the party will have its army, while the party chairman in his political document presented at the meeting said the party will form an "armed force" when deemed necessary.
The party´s central committee members are in favor of forming a separate army of the party not by establishing a new force from a scratch but by reorganizing the former People´s Liberation Army (PLA) personnel-YCL cadres, disqualified PLAs during the UN verifications and those who opted for voluntary retirements in the integration process. They had fought against the security forces during the decade-long Maoists´ ´people´s war´.
"Almost all comrades have advised the party should clearly mention the word ´army´ in place of the word ´armed forces´ in the political document," said a CC member. The party leaders including Kul Prasad KC, Uma Bhujel, Bharat Bam, Maya Prasad Sharma were in favor of such change.

In a political document presented on Monday, Chairman Mohan Baidya had mentioned that the party will achieve state powers through "people´s revolt" based on the "people´s war". The bases of the "people´s war" are "people´s government, army, and the people´s courts", which were formed by then CPN (Maoist) in insurgency era.

Of the total 19,602 plus UNMIN-verified Maoist combatants, only 1,462 combatants were selected for integration into the national army while all others, except six combatants, have chosen voluntary retirements. The six combatants chose rehabilitation package offered by the government.

With the split of the party in June, the members of the dissolved PLA are divided into the two parties - UCPN (Maoist) and CPN-Maoist. Likewise, Maoist had formed a separate militant youth wing called Young Communist League (YCL), bringing out the real PLA members, who were politically indoctrinated with the Maoist ideology after then CPN (Maoist) came into mainstream politics back in 2008.

Addressing the party CC meeting on Saturday, party general secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa said they will automatically decide to form the army if there was suppression on the part of the state.

"We will have to immediately form a separate military organization if we mention to form ´army´ in our political document. Such a move will close all constitutional means, legal and political fights that we can be waged without going underground," a CC member quoted general secretary Thapa as saying.

Thapa argued that they should be able to go ahead by following the paths set by Mao and Lenin on the issue of the army. Mao had formed the regular red army and captured the state which is known as people´s war while Lenin had used both the armies -party´s army and state´s army.

Communist theories hold that there are ´three magical weapons´ --- revolutionary party, joint front and revolutionary red army --- of the revolution. Then CPN (Maoist) had formed PLA as the revolutionary red army and Baburam Bhattarai-led joint front. Bhattarai himself led the central level parallel government named Revolutionary People´s Council, Nepal that worked under the Joint Front.

Maoist likewise formed people´s government and practiced district people´s government at district level and village people´s government in local level. The party had practiced people´s court and had carried out administrative works of the people under the people´s government.
from Republica