RAIPUR: Amid speculation over who would replace Basavaraju as CPI(Maoist) general secretary after he was shot dead in an encounter with Chhattisgarh’s District Reserve Guards on May 21, the buzz in Bastar is that Mupalla Laxman Rao alias Ganapathy — Basavaraju’s mentor and predecessor — is back in the country.
Ganapathy was the CPI(Maoist) general secretary for nearly 15 years before he stepped aside in 2018 and passed the baton to Basavaraju.
“Ganapathy was in the Philippines all these years for treatment and rest, but is back after Basavaraju’s encounter killing. He was acting as an ‘advisor’ to the outfit. He is in his late 70s and his deteriorating health won’t allow him to be back as the head of Maoists,” said a security source.
The echoes from deep forests of Bastar division suggest that the general secretary post is likely to go to a senior commander from Andhra Pradesh or Telangana.
It is very likely that the name of Basavaraju’s successor will never be officially announced, the same way it was not declared when Ramchandra Reddy took over as secretary of Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee after Ramanna died due to a cardiac arrest, said the source.
No matter who replaces Basavaraju, he knows he’s living on borrowed time and security forces will eliminate him, a counter-insurgency officer told TOI.
“There is no leader within the ranks who can fill Basavaraju’s shoes. The remaining commanders now have only two options, surrender or face the same fate,” said Bastar IG Sundarraj.
“The Maoist organization is disintegrating rapidly, with no credible leadership and no strategic direction. Debates around Basavaraju’s successor are, at this point, totally irrelevant because the outfit is breathing its last. In all likelihood, Basavaraju would be the last effective general secretary of a now-defunct organization. There is no possibility of any other senior cadre taking over the already depleted and devastated Naxal outfit,” Sundarraj told TOI.
The latest Maoist press note, issued by ‘Vikalp’, may carry a clue to who would succeed Basavaraju. It quotes Basavaraju’s last purported message to cadres: “I’ll be holding this responsibility for only two-three more years… Focus should be on the security of new youth leadership.”
Police wouldn’t comment on the veracity of this statement, but pointed out that the Maoist organisation is in pieces after relentless security operations and with only four politburo members left, it’s counting its last days.
“After Basavaraju and Ganapathy, Sonu alias Mallojula Venugopal and Thippiri Tirupati alias Devji from Telangana are most likely to take over. Mishir Besra alias Bhaskar from Jharkhand is also a possibility, but the Telugu dominance in the outfit will not give him that much importance nor will give the hold to Jharkhand,” said an officer.
With Basavaraju’s killing, a power vacuum is growing in the top leadership of the Maoist insurgency. According to sources, the organization is struggling to find a leader of similar stature and influence.
“The headless organization is at a crossroads. The absence of an influential commander may destabilize internal command structures. Will CPI(Maoists) think of elevating Central Committee members, aged 50-55 years, into key leadership roles? That’s the key question,” he added.
An officer pointed out that the latest Maoist press note exposes the contrast between intention and action of Maoists. “Maoists claim to seek peace talks and ceasefire, while they publicly announce big plans to carry forward the outfit and movement,” he said.
“No matter who follows Basavaraju, this fear will gnaw at every top Maoist commander — ‘Am I next?’ If we can get Basavaraju, we can get anyone, they know that. What’s more, the pool of loyal cadres is diminishing rapidly. There are fissures in the Maoist ranks. Top commanders don’t know who to trust,” he added.
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