Plans to observe Nepalese Maoists' day in India

Kathmandu, Feb. 8 -- Nepal's Maoists are stepping up their propaganda war in India, with a group there planning to mark the day the "People's War" movement began in the kingdom.

On Feb 13, 1996, the guerrillas started their armed movement in Nepal with the aim of replacing constitutional monarchy with a Communist republic. Since then, each year they have been enforcing shutdowns in the country on this day to reinforce the memory of their movement.

This time a New Delhi-based group, the Nepali Janadhikar Suraksha Samiti, plans to take out a rally followed by a mass meeting in Chandigarh on the same day. The organisation also plans rallies on the same day in New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata.

But since India considers the Maoists to be terrorists, it remains to be seen if the rallies will be allowed.

Since Feb 1 this year, the activities of the Maoist rebels in Nepal have slowed down. That was the day King Gyanendra dismissed the Sher Bahadur Deuba government, assumed executive powers and imposed a state of emergency with the suspension of fundamental rights.

The new government clamped down on communication services, disconnecting telephone services and Internet facilities - which were finally restored Monday.

The move, according to Nepal's army, prevented the underground guerrillas from communicating with one another and planning offensives.

The British government in its travel advice regarding Nepal said though the rebels had called an 11-day strike in April, "given the current difficulties with local communications, it is difficult to assess how effective this call will be".

The rebels had called a three-day shutdown this month too after the royal takeover. However, with restrictions on telecommunications and FM radio stations, Nepal's fastest and most widely-spread source of information in the past, people remained mostly unaware of the rebel call and carried on with their daily routine.

After the royal takeover, the army has said it would now be more focused on its mandate of disarming the rebels and bringing them back into the mainstream.

In view of the developments, the Maoists are stepping up their propaganda in neighbouring India.

Published by HT Media Ltd. with permission from IANS.

Published by HT Syndication with permission from Indo-Asian News Service.