During a recent trip to a Maoist base in Dandakaranya, Rahul Pandita had left a questionnaire for Maoist Supreme Commander Mupalla Laxman Rao alias Ganapathi, who had given him exclusive access last year for an interview (see ‘We Shall Certainly Defeat the Government’, 23 October 2009), his first ever. This time, Ganapathi has sent his replies in writing, covering a vast range of issues from Maoist leader Azad’s death and Rahul Gandhi’s role in Vedanta’s Niyamgiri project, to Maoist violence, their push into urban spaces, middle-class fears of their agenda, and chances of talks with the Centre. Excerpts:
16 November 2010Maoist supreme commander Mupalla Laxman Rao, alias Ganapathi, responds to Open's questionnaire. An unabridged version of his written responses
09 November 2010Doing one thing and saying another is the signature tune of the Thackeray family. Take a look at young Aditya Thackeray’s record
04 November 2010When it comes to Naxal literature, the outsider’s gaze inevitably seems touristy and impatient. Turn to the accounts of insiders for the real thing
03 November 2010Between the Clinton and Obama visits, US perceptions of Indian security haven’t changed
27 October 2010The battle of a ghazal singer to rediscover himself and his art away from the spotlight
27 October 2010The Centre’s interlocutors lack what is needed for useful talks
14 October 2010Slightly built they may be, but you’d be a fool to take them lightly. Battle-hardened, fiercely committed to their cause and proud of the identity the movement gives them, the woman Maoists here are every bit as fierce as their male comrades.
16 September 2010Abdul Ahad Jan, who flung a shoe at J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, is believed to be like many other shoe-throwers—sane and honest.
20 August 2010What has New Delhi achieved in 60 rounds of talks with the Naga insurgent group NSCN-IM?
06 August 2010CELESTIAL HEROISM IS a bestseller, unless it is badly made. In it merges great survivor dramas and the romance of breaching the boundaries of human…
10 April 2019Pratap Bhanu Mehta is one of India’s most influential columnists and public intellectuals
Brahma Chellaney is a geostrategist and the author of two award-winning books on water: Water, Peace, and War and Water: Asia’s New Battleground
MJ Akbar is the author of, among several titles, Tinderbox: The Past and Future of Pakistan. His latest book is Gandhi: A Life in Three Campaigns
Ram Madhav is a member of the National Executive of RSS and a founding member of the governing council of India Foundation. He is the author of, among other titles, Partitioned Freedom and The Hindutva Paradigm