Maoist Documents

The People's Guerrilla Army

PROGRAMME & CONSTITUTION

Article 1 : The People.s Liberation Army is the main instrument in the hands of the CPI(ML)[PEOPLE.S WAR] and all the people of India in the achievement of the task of overthrow, specifically of imperialism and the state power of the big bourgeoise, big landlord classes collaborating with it and the establishment in its place a new democratic state under the leadership of the working class. It, will, in every stage of the revolution, strive for the victory of the people and will firmly adhere to the glorious task of preserving the victories won by the people and to the cause of socialism.

Article 2 : The line of protracted people.s war is our military strategy. That means, encircling the cities from the countryside and ultimately capturing state power. Towards the achievement of that aim, the people.s army will fight under party.s leadership developing its forces to the extent possible, consolidating them, wiping out the enemy forces to the extent possible and building guerrilla zones with the aim of establishment of Liberated Areas.

Article 3 : In accordance with the changing war conditions the PGA has to acquire expertise in guerrilla and mobile warfare and the People.s Liberation Army has to acquire expertise in positional warfare.

Article 4 : The PGA will extends full backing to People.s State Power, that gets formed in the guerrilla zones and base areas. It will fight with all its might to depend the People.s State Power from enemy onslaughts and to offer support to the People.s State Power, in its exercise of its power over the exploiting classes. It will stand by the people, in the implementation of People.s Democracy; it stands answerable to the people.

Article 5 : The PGA is a political and military force quite different from revolutionary mass organisations. It forms a detachment in the Army of the International Proletariats.

Article 6 : The party defines the strategy and tactics of the revolution. As a part of it, the CC will formulate in accordance with circumstances, the concrete forms of organisation and forms of war that are to be followed during the various stages of the people.s war. The Central Military Commission will guide the military affairs in accordance with them. The military (operational) command will give direct leadership to field operations

The people.s army always keeps M-L-M politics in command. The party will have full control over the army. M-L-M ensures that this does not get reversed. The party is the leader who stands at the forefront of the people's army.

Article 7 : The peoples army at present exists in the form of PGA. This has to be developed as the People's Liberation Army and expanded. The people.s guerrilla army is an armed organisation formed for the achievement of political aims of the revolution. While, on the one hand, waging war to destroy enemy.s military might, it has to take up other political tasks like, conduction of propaganda among the people, organising the people, arming of the people, helping the people in the establishment of revolutionary power, formation of Party Organisations etc.

Article 8 : The survival and growth of the PGA depends on, going deeply among the people and gaining their love and affection. The PGA firmly opposes the pure military outlook which is divorced from the masses and adventurism. It will function adhering to the mass line.

Article 9 : At present PGA will be in the following forms. Military formations at platoon and higher levels that will move to any place and participate in war, according to the demands of war and on the orders of commission/command command, and the action teams will constitute the main forces, the special guerrilla squads, local guerrilla squads and action teams which will be under the jurisdiction of various divisions/districts will constitute the secondary forces and the people.s militia will constitute the basic forces. As the people.s guerrilla army expands, changes will occur in its forms.

Article 10 : In the PGA, all the formations from platoon and above, will have party committees. The party branch will be formed with party members. Various squads will have a party cell or a party branch. A committee at that level can be formed where needed. Party members too will be there in the militia along with ordinary young men and women.

Article 11 : All kinds of forces in the PGA will function under the leadership of respective party committees. They must implement the decisions of those party committees.

Article 12 : Party members in PGA can be invited according to their level to party conferences/plenums at respective levels. In general, the party committees of military formation at platoon and higher levels will be elected in conferences.

Article 13 : Democratic relations only will prevail in the PGA. The PGA will give honourable treatment to the surrendered enemy soldiers. It will strictly adhere to the three rules of discipline formulated by comrade Mao; it will sincerely try to implement the 8 points of attention.

Article 14 : The PGA participation in labour and will cherish labour.

Article 15 : The PGA will participate in the propaganda and agitations programmes as directed by Party Committees. It will organise the people. The PGA will extensively employ people's art forms in its propaganda. It will try to enhance the consciousness of the people.

Article 16 : Any male or female, who has reached the age of 16 will be eligible to join the PGA. They should have the determination to fight with the enemy with hatred. They should be of good health. They must posses the minimum of consciousness of participating in the service of the people with commitment and dedications. They must hate the enemy and cherish the people.