Monday, August 22 2005 14:51 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kolkata: Concerned at the growing Maoist activity in West Bengal, the Communist Party of India (CPI) Marxist (M) has decided to fight the extremists ideologically, not just with arms, snapping their contact with people taking the help of the party's political and frontal organisations.

As part of the strategy, the party had taken up a major programme to organise campaigns in order to make people aware of the extremist's evil designs.

The CPI-M State secretary, Anil Biswas, briefing the party's state committee in a meeting in Kolkata yesterday (Aug 21, 2005) said that the Maoists in their move to spread their network were utilising resources in Andhra Pradesh, where they have a very strong presence, Orissa, Jharkhand and Bihar.

Saying that attacks by the Naxalites had resulted in the death of some CPI-M leaders and workers, he pointed out that they were also trying to establish contact with the Jharkhand is and terrorist outfits in the Northeast in their expansionist designs.

"The Maoists have targeted the ruling CPI-M in West Bengal mainly to destabilise the state's law and order situation and vitiate the atmosphere before the Assembly election, due next year", Biswas said.

The party has also given priority to development

The party has also given priority to development in all backward areas through panchayats creating more mandays, beefing up the health and education infrastructure and promoting projects to bring self-reliance among the disadvantaged, Biswas says.

Biswas said that the Party State Committee had also cautioned against activities of other secessionist and reactionary groups like the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation and of some anti-Left forces who were instigating them to gain political mileage.

''Such forces are trying hard to create political instability by vitiating the law and order situation in north Bengal and we will never allow it to happen,'' Biswas said.

Apart from the Kamtapur People's Party, which wants to carve out a separate Kamtapur state, some elements were demanding a 'Greater Coochbehar'.

In Jalpaiguri district, KPP violence claimed lives of several CPI-M leaders, adding that the CPI-M had been able to counter them politically. As a result, many Kamtapuri activists surrendered their arms and returned to the mainstream.

In Darjeeling, Biswas said, GNLF chief Subash Ghishing was raising issue after issue putting peace in the hills in jeopardy.

The party was conducting awareness campaigns in the hills and plains against these separatists keeping in mind the presence of different ethnic groups there.