(Abridged and revised version of the original draft circulated in the middle of 1983.)
Character
Today’s armed units, which are essentially regular guerrilla units in character, are the embryo of tomorrow’s People’s Liberation Army of India.
Aims and Objectives
To overthrow the landlords’ hegemony in the countryside, to help the masses establish their own political power through revolutionary committees, to develop step by step into a regular army, to initiate people’s insurrection, and in this way, to spread the spark of people’s war to liberate the country as a whole.
Composition
Each unit shall comprise 5 to 10 members, shall be equipped mainly with modern firearms, and shall have a political commissar and a commander. The units of neighbouring areas shall be coordinated through regional networks and for every such regional network there shall be a regional commissar and a regional commander.
Members of the units shall generally be recruited from local guerrilla squads, or at times, directly from the active masses themselves. They shall be drawn mainly from agrarian labourers and poor and middle peasants. They should be healthy, diligent and militant, ranging from 18 to 40 years in age. They must have a strong sense of duty and a basic conception of the aim they are fighting for.
During the time of their admission into the unit, members shall take the following oath :
I will work under the absolute leadership of the Party and will follow the directives of the political commissar. I will always obey the orders of my commander and the weapon in my hand shall never be used, under no circumstances whatsoever, in any personal interest of mine, or for that matter, in the interest of any caste, community or group.
I will ever be ready to go anywhere in the country and to lay down my life for the liberation of the Indian people.
Area of Operation
The specified area of operation of every unit shall cover 20 to 30 villages. However, for military requirements it may extend to any limit.
Responsibilities of Commissars and Commanders
Political commissars shall be responsible for ensuring that the units operate according to the Party’s programme and plans; imparting ideological, political and literal education to the unit members ; forming Party branches within the units; forging solid unity among the unit members and for taking care of their personal problems.
Commanders shall be responsible for enforcing strict discipline within the units, formulating military plans and leading the unit members in executing such plans. In military affairs, their words shall be supreme.
Commissars and commanders shall work in close cooperation, and the former have a crucial role to play in the development of outstanding commanders.
Tasks
i) In the interest of mass movements, the units shall disarm class enemies and smash armed gangs of landlords. They shall also arm the local squads. And to arm themselves, they shall undertake surprise attacks on isolated armed groups of policemen and snatch their arms.
ii) The units shall conduct political and organisational work in their respective areas. They shall form boys’ scouts, village defence corps and local squads and shall impart political and military training to, and act in coordination with, the latter.
iii) In their specified areas they shall select and develop potential recruits for the units as well as for their own intelligence network.
iv) They shall provide necessary help to the peasants in seizing, distributing and defending crops and land, and in confiscating the properties of class enemies.
v) The units shall work for promoting mass movements through political mobilisation of the masses, and assist in building mass organisations like peasant associations, village committees, revolutionary committees, organisations of youths and women as well as in protecting the masses and their leaders from the attacks of the enemy.
Military Policy
The units shall follow the ‘Four Principles of Guerrilla Warfare’ as formulated by Mao Tse-tung. In the present conditions they shall follow the policy : ‘Stay less and move more, appear and disappear at lightening speed, deny the enemy any specific target, breakthrough the enemy cordon at the first opportunity, undertake selected actions and guarantee their success’.
Relation with the Masses
i) The relation of the units with the masses shall be one of simultaneously learning from them and educating them. Persuasion has to be the watchword of this relation. The units shall assist the people in solving their problems through people’s committees. They should give a patient bearing to the masses, identify their problems and suggest methods of solving them.
ii) Only by working with an attitude of sacrifice and selfless devotion can the units forge a strong unity among the masses. They must rid themselves of the tendency of revenge or blind retaliation. The fighters must not view themselves as heroes amidst passive masses, rather their relation with the masses should be that of fish and water, of seed and soil. The units shall teach the masses how to differentiate between various classes so that they can clearly distinguish between a friend and a foe.
iii) The units shall help the masses stay ever-prepared for resistance. They shall try and ensure that political unity takes precedence over family unity.
iv) They shall behave in such a manner that the people can regard them as their own army and feel inclined to readily extend all kinds of help and protection to them.
v) The masses must not be looked upon as objects of pity, rather they should be viewed as real heroes, as revolutionary fighters.
Attitude towards Women
i) The ‘Three-Eight Principles’ must be followed in letter and spirit. Women must not be treated with contempt or considered as the ‘weaker’ sex. The units should learn to respect the fighting heritage of women and uphold their role in resistance struggles.
ii) Women must not be considered as articles of enjoyment or indulgence. They should be viewed as fighters for revolution. Under no circumstances, shall any member of a unit indulge in any objectionable behaviour towards women (like obscene talks, eveteasing etc.).
iii) Women should be educated in democratic culture in opposition to feudal culture (which has always prompted the people to look down upon women). The units shall also educate them against various superstitions.
iv) In shelters, unit members shall always stay well-behaved and properly clad.
v) Women should be given equal rights and they should be organised against all sorts of exploitation.
Code of Conduct
i) In all their activities the armed units shall accept the absolute leadership of the Party.
ii) In their areas of operation, the units shall work in accordance with the planning of the respective Party committees.
iii) The units must abide by the directives of the political commissars. In military affairs, unit members must obey the orders of the commanders.
iv) No member shall go out on any personal work without taking prior leave permission from the commander.
v) The commissar and the commander shall neither physically assault nor abuse any fighter.
vi) Fighters, whether old or new, must be treated at par.
vii) All fighters are free to air their views in unit meetings, and have the right to lodge complaints, if any, with the concerned Party committee.
Note : Of late the composition of armed units has undergone a significant change. Instead of the two posts of political commissar and commander, both permanently attached to the unit, a single post of unit incharge has been instituted. The unit incharge is supposed to look after both the political and military tasks of a unit. However, political organisers of the respective areas keep close contact with the units. The system of having both the commissar and commander will be reinstituted in relatively bigger military formations.
The strict rule of having commanders solely from landless and poor peasants has also been relaxed : in particular cases fighters from middle peasant origin having outstanding military qualities may now be appointed as commanders. Provision has been made to admit even youths of non-peasant origin into the units.
