CPI (Maoist) expels farmer leader Darshan Pal for Naxal links

Despite this, both comrades remained part of the parallel anti-party centre formed under the leadership of Balraj and continued their subversive activities, the CPI Maoist said, adding Comrade Balraj was dismissed from the party along with those working under his leadership and involved in anti-party activities.

The CPI (Maoist) has expelled senior farmer leader and Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) convener Darshan Pal for ''anti-party and factional activities'' after his alleged Naxal link was ''exposed''.

The SKM, which spearheaded a year-long protest against the now-repealed three farm laws, is an umbrella body of various farmer unions. Pal is also the president of the Krantikari Kisan Union.

The Central Committee of the CPI (Maoist), which was banned by the government under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, in a recently issued press release announced the ''dismissal'' of Comrades Joseph (Darshan Pal) and Sanjeet (Arjun Prasad Singh) from the party by cancelling their membership and removing them from all responsibilities due to their ''anti-party, factional activities''.

The statement claimed that the two joined the erstwhile CPI (ML) (Party Unity) in the 1980s as Punjab State Committee Member and Bihar State Committee member, respectively.

''In the later process, the CPI (Maoist) was formed and these two comrades joined it and have been working with responsibilities under the guidance of the Central Committee. From the time Joseph was co-opted to the State Committee in 2014, his work has been dominated by the tendency to take decisions outside the party line and he opportunistically leads the party into factionalism and division,'' the statement read.

After Comrade Balraj's release from jail in 2016, the release claimed that Comrade Joseph and Comrade Sanjeet ''opportunistically connived with him and indulged in anti-party factional and disruptive activities'', breaking the party's constitution and discipline.

''He established a parallel anti-party centre under the leadership of Comrade Balraj. According to the resolution passed in the seventh meeting of the CC held in 2021, a letter was issued by the Party General Secretary cautioning all the party cadres of the states of the Northern Region to stay away from the anti-party activities of Comrade Balraj and his ''right-wing opportunism,'' the release said.

''Instructions were issued to stick to the party line while fighting, and to break all relations with them. Despite this, both comrades remained part of the parallel anti-party centre formed under the leadership of Balraj and continued their subversive activities,'' the CPI (Maoist) said, adding Comrade Balraj was ''dismissed'' from the party along with those working under his leadership and involved in ''anti-party activities''.