Land: Naxalites rope in Norway's Leftist

The frontal organisations of Naxalites are planning to project the alleged state atrocities at Kalinganagar and Paradip in Orissa along with Nandigram and Singur in West Bengal on the international stage.

For this, they have roped in a senior member of the Communist Party of Norway (Norges Kommunistiske Parti - NKP), Peter Michael Joanson, to visit areas in Orissa and West Bengal that witnessed movements against displacement of people due to industry.

Joanson, who is visiting West Bengal, is expected to soon visit the Tatas' project site in Kalinganagar and the Posco site in Paradip. Thirteen people were killed last year in Kalinganagar, where protests against land acquisition for the Tatas' project are still on. The Posco site has been blockaded by the locals.

The Orissa government feels at both the places, it is the ultra Left organisations, especially Naxalites, who are trying to pitch people against industry and the state. There are also indications that the CPI (Maoist) supporters are inciting people to thwart the projects.

Speaking to Business Standard, Joanson said, "We in the NKP are aware of the state atrocities that are being perpetrated at some of the upcoming industrial sites in Orissa and West Bengal. Kalinganagar, Paradip, Nandigram and Singur are probably the most trouble-torn areas where land acquisition is being done by force. I shall highlight the plight of the locals internationally".

"What I find is that the parliamentary Left in India is akin to state power and pays lip service when its protests against forcible land acquisitions. The hour has arrived when traditional Communist parties like the CPI and CPI(M) will have to shed their garb and come out in the open in favour of people's revolution," he said.

Though Naxalites are aware that the NKP plays a minimal role in Norwegian politics, they would like to use its ties with other fraternal international Communist organisations.

NKP lack parliamentary representation in its country. It, however, continues to highlight "people's struggle" worldwide through its organ, Friheten. "In the NKP, we have Maoists and non-Maoists, but there are no anti-Maoists. I still feel the path to people's revolution in India is Maoism in its revised form," he said.

Asked it he would meet the brass of the CPI (M), he said, "I am aware of their activities and will be too glad to meet some of their top leaders in my tour of India". He, however, is in two minds on visiting Naxal bastions like Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.