Hyderabad: G.V.K. Prasad alias Gudsa Usendi, the Maoist leader who surrendered a few weeks ago, doesn’t want to be called “Gudsa Usendi” any more, and says he opposed the “excessive killing” of tribals by Maoists under the pretext of destroying the police informant network. He also did not approve of blasting school buildings and HT power towers that cause blackouts in Bastar.
Prasad was speaking after some weeks of silence. This is his first interaction with the media. He said he had not run away with the woman who surrendered with him (Markam Santoshi alias Jaini) as she has been his long-term friend and colleague.
Regarding the Darbha Ghati massacre, Prasad said he had defended the party stand as its spokesperson, but he was totally against the killing of innocent people like PCC president Nandkumar Patel. He said there is no connivance of Maoists with Congress leaders. He said the Maoist movement is losing its base and in the next 10 years it will be weakened.
“I have strongly opposed destruction of school buildings right from 2008. I wrote several letters to the central leadership regarding my discontent. In 2007, when high-tension electricity towers were destroyed by the party and resulted in power failure throughout Bastar for weeks together, I opposed it. They don’t realise that it is due to such actions that the movement is weakening,” Prasad said.
And we have been getting isolated from intellectual and middle class sections in Dandakaranya," Prasad said. He said he has been critical of the bureaucratic work style and sectarian outlook of the movement. "They tried to demoralise me with baseless allegations and particularly targeted my personal life.
In July 2011 I and Raji (his wife) virtually separated. I informed the same to the central leadership in 2012 in the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee meeting. There is no point in Ramanna's allegation that I had deserted her and ran away with another woman. From January 2013, I and Markam Santoshi decided to live together. I wrote a nine-page letter to the leadership about my decision to leave the party. Families of both of us agreed."
He said he has been involved in propaganda work for the past 30 years. "I have a weapon to defend myself but I was never involved in killings," he said.
