Maoists boycott Bihar polls, call it ‘mockery of democracy’

The Communist Party of India (Maoist) has given a call for the boycott of polls in Bihar, espousing an armed agrarian movement across the state to establish “real people’s rule”. It has also threatened voters with serious consequences if they take part in a “mockery of democracy where the parties indulge in selling election symbols to contestants”. The call is in line with the banned outfit’s aversion to parliamentary politics. In a four-page note issued by its Bihar-Jharkhand Special Area Committee on Wednesday, the Maoist group did not spare the Left parties too. It called them “power-hungry organisations”.

The Maoists said all political parties including BJP, JD-U, RJD, Congress and CPI have the common goal of looting the nation’s wealth. “Take up arms to establish your authority over jungle, jal (water) and zamin (land) and be a part of the armed class struggle to defeat these feudal and imperial forces robbing the country for centuries.”
Maoists call poll boycott
Banka: The surfacing of Maoist posters and handbills calling for poll boycott and cautioning the polling personnel and officials not to ride police vehicles, just five days ahead of polling in Belhar assembly segment in Banka district has created flutter among senior police officials and district administration. Alarmed, police and district administration have pressed two battalions of Border Security Force (BSF) and central paramilitary force besides the district police to increase vigilance in Belhar seat. Security has also been beefed up in other assembly segments of Banka district.
More than half a dozen Maoist posters and hand bills in Hindi and red and blue colours were found on the roadside trees between Kharanda Mor and Navi Bandh villages on Belhar-Banka main road under Belhar police station in the early hours of Wednesday. Police sources said this area is considered a stronghold of hardcore Maoist Mantu Khaira, the self-styled sub-zonal commander of the banned outfit. Sitting JD(U) MLA Girdhari Yadav and BJP nominee Manoj Yadav are in fierce contest in Belhar constituency.
Some other important contestants are: Shiv Kumar Singh (BSP), Raj Kishore Prasad alias Pappu Yadav (JMM) and Arjun Pandit (Socialist Unity Center of India). It may be mentioned here that in Belhar constituency 293 polling booths are hit by Maoist menace besides 220 in Katoria and 28 in Banka (Sadar) apart from polling booths in some other assembly constituencies. There are 1,321 polling booths in Banka district, which goes to polls on October 12. Some other handbills and posters mentioned formation of ‘Krantikari Kisan Committee’ to ‘make sure that electorate don’t cast their votes and warned politicians with slogans like ‘khadi-kurta-dhoti hoshiyar, Krantikaari janata hai taiyaar (khadi-clad politicians beware, the revolutionaries are ready …)’, said sources. The posters were in the name of CPI (Maoist). On receipt of information, Banka SP Satya Prakash visited the spot. He said the matter is being investigated.