Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has urged top Maoist leader Muppala Laxmana Rao alias Ganapathi to surrender, saying that “not with bullet, you can work miracles with ballot”. Reddy was speaking in Hyderabad as 130 Maoists surrendered on Saturday, along with 124 weapons and live ammunition.
Ganapathi is the only Central Committee member from Telangana who is underground now. Once the general secretary of the party, he retired from active participation in armed struggle and went into hiding.
Among those who surrendered on Saturday were mostly leaders of the first battalion of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) of the CPI (Maoist). This battalion was once led by Thippiri Tirupathi alias Devuji, who surrendered before the state’s DGP B Shivadhar Reddy earlier this month.
“There is no Telangana Maoist committee now,” declared Reddy, even as the state has seven underground leaders, including Ganapathi. “This has dealt a severe blow to the CPI (Maoist) in Telangana and Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) areas. Among the three ‘magic weapons’ of the CPI Maoist, the most important one, PLGA, has completely surrendered,” said DGP Reddy.
The CM appealed to the seven Maoist leaders who were underground to join the mainstream.
Those who surrendered before the police included State Committee Members (3), Regional Committee Member (1), Divisional Committee Members (10), Area Committee Members (46) and party members (70).
The surrendered Maoists, who include Devuji’s guards, reached the Telangana State Police Integrated Command and Control Centre in four buses.
This surrender follows the CM’s meeting with Union Home Minister in New on March 4. “I have heard that Ganapathi and others are ailing too. We ask all those who are underground to surrender, and the state will take care of them,” Reddy said, adding that surrendered Maoists will be integrated into the mainstream by giving them medical and housing facilities.
“The government is ready to revoke cases against Naxals and also constitute a committee, if required, to review the cases,” he said. “Dialogue is the only solution to resolve the issues. The state government is sympathetic towards the Naxals and ready to solve the issues.”
