Maoist Directive Says No Lavish Life Style, No Market Products, No Sahayak System For Cadres

Indian Maoists have found growing trends among their cadres that go against their principles forcing the leadership to issue a set of rules and regulations.

The Indian Express reported that a party directive has said No to lavish life style, market products and sahayak system and many more for its cadres. It ranges from soaps to electronic gadgets and poha to computers.

The report said the directives were released after the plenum of the CPI (Maoist) Eastern Regional Bureau (ERB) in December 2015 under a party document titled “Decisions regarding use of lifestyle products and electronic equipment in the party.” It presses an alarm button over the growing “non-proletarian trends” in the organization.

 “Leaders are found spending lavishly. Lavish lifestyle is against the very core principles of guerrilla life and also dangerous in these times of the growing war,” the document said.

“Instead of local people and resources, we are becoming increasingly dependent on the market. Quotas are not being honoured.” It said the use of market products was “leading to virtual economic anarchy” and termed it a “serious problem causing hindrance to revolutionary movement”.

It instructed that things must be sourced from local people and sources and not markets as far as possible. Oil should be “sparingly used. Poha, semia and groundnut shouldn’t be procured,” the document said.

The document has banned “beauty enhancing products” among the Maoist cadres. It also warns the leaders against using guards for “personal work.” It says leaders cannot make guards do their personal work such as “cleaning of gun barrels” or “kitchen work”.

According to the document, permission must be taken from a “higher committee” before purchasing electronic gadgets. Computers can be used by only those who are authorized by the committee. Even though cellphones can be used with the committee’s permission, the document insists that it “mustn’t be used to contact family members.” “They mustn’t be used to do audio or video recording.”

There must be no discrimination in the diet for leaders and cadres, “except aged and indisposed or for any other reason”.

Regarding consumption of non-vegetarian food and sweets, the cadres have been told to stick to their quota. “As far as possible, it should be consumed when comrades are living in a group.”

The document added that “leaders should first set examples by following communist ideals”.