With the home ministry asking Assam to remain alert on the growth of Maoist activities, the security agencies have unearthed a clandestine plan mooted by the Maoists to form a confederation of states comprising Northeast, parts of Burma and Sylhet area of Bangladesh to accommodate smaller nationalities of the region.
Disclosing that the Maoists aim at providing representation to smaller nationalities of the region in the proposed confederation, authoritative security sources in the home ministry told this newspaper that the idea has been floated to bring in all the separatist movements of the region on one platform besides finding base for itself in Burma.
Informing that the Maoists are setting up bases in the frontier state of Arunachal Pradesh to get an alternative route to Burma, security sources said that the Maoists already have an agreement with Manipur rebels and using the corridor to Burma for training cadres and arms smuggling.
Admitting that the downfall of regionalism in Assam has encouraged and is helping the Maoists in expanding its bases in the state, security sources claimed that more than 30 trained Maoist cadres are working to rope in areas of communist influence.
Pointing out that three leading committees of the Maoists have been formed, security sources further said that the Assam government has been informed that Maoists have strengthened their presence in Amarpur area of Sadiya in Tinsukia district adjoining the border with Arunachal Pradesh.
Clarifying that as of now there was no evidence of hardline Ulfa rebels helping the Maoists, security sources, however, said that many batches of Maoist cadres were trained in a Maoist camp bordering Orissa and Chhattisgarh.