Top leaders of Maoist parties in India and Nepal have officially announced their decision to "fight together and establish socialism and communism" in the two countries, a newspaper reported yesterday.
A joint statement signed by Ganapathy, general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) and Prachanda, chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), should serve as a wake-up call to the governments in New Delhi and Kathmandu, the Indian Express reported.
`Conspiracies'
The Maoists declared that they will unite to fight, until the time when "conspiracies hatched by imperialists and reactionaries are crushed and the people's cause of socialism and communism are established in Nepal, India and all over the world."
Over 11,000 people have been killed in the Maoist insurgency in Nepal that started in 1996.
Though the level of violence is lower in neighboring India, Maoist groups have caused much turmoil in five Indian states: southern Andra Pradesh, central Jharkhand and Chattisgarh and eastern Orissa and Bihar.
The Maoists have vowed to replace the present political system with a communist regime.
The joint statement also targeted Nepalese King Gyanendra, condemning his "fascist attacks on the revolutionary people of Nepal" as well as the "Indian ruling classes" for their "fascist attacks on the revolutionary leaders and masses of India."
Nepalese Maoists also maintained that they would not accept a negotiated settlement to end the insurgency.
Regular meetings
Maoists from both the countries meet at regular intervals to consolidate and intensify their links along what they call the "compact revolutionary zone" which stretches from Andhra Pradesh state to Nepal.
Coordination between Indian Maoist outfits like the People's War Group -- Maoist Communist Center and the Nepalese Maoists is an open secret. Many Maoist rebels suspected to be working with their Indian counterparts have been arrested in India's state of Bihar since last year.
Though the plans of the Maoists are not clear as yet, it is understood that the groups will chart out a joint course of action along the compact revolutionary zone, the report said.
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