No Surrender, Just Joined Mainstream, Says Devuji

Hyderabad:Senior Maoist leaders Thipiri Thirupati alias Devuji and Malla Raji Reddy alias Sangram on Friday said they had left underground life to join the mainstream, but had not surrendered. They asserted that they would continue to work for Marxism or Maoism.

Addressing the media, Devuji said the decision to join the mainstream was taken after a series of interactions with the government. “This is not surrender. Surrender would mean abandoning the ideology of Marxism or Maoism, which we have not done. Our ideology will continue,” he said. Devuji dismissed speculation that they intended to contest elections.

Devuji said he and three others — Malla Raji Reddy alias Sangram, Bade Chokka Rao alias Damodar and Nune Narasimha Reddy alias Sannu Dada — were intercepted by the Telangana police while travelling to discuss party matters. Devuji was detained in Hyderabad, while Raji Reddy was apprehended in Hanamkonda, he said.

On February 22, the police announced that Devuji had surrendered to them. He claimed that police suggested surrender, but he refused to describe their move as such. “If we were arrested, we would be away from the people and our cadres. To understand public issues and stand with them, we must remain among the people,” he said.

Devuji said they conveyed two demands to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy during their recent interaction: Lifting of the ban on Maoists and recognition of the party as a legal political organisation, so that it could work within the constitutional framework; and the release of individuals allegedly arrested on accusations of being associated with Maoist activities.

According to Devuji, the Chief Minister told them that the issue involved the Centre and that he had discussed the matter with Union home minister Amit Shah. The outcome of those discussions was not known yet.

Responding to questions about senior Maoist leader Ganapati, Devuji said none of them knew his whereabouts, adding that it was a collective decision within the party not to disclose leaders’ locations.

On the deaths of police personnel in encounters, Devuji said police were not considered enemies. “In a war, there are losses on both sides. Their deaths are the responsibility of governments, which could have chosen other methods,” he said.

Raji Reddy also stated that their move should not be termed as surrender. He said that while the Centre might allow them to function politically, it was uncertain whether they would be allowed to operate under the same name. Referring to the Centre’s deadline to eliminate Maoism by March 31, Raji Reddy said that eradicating the movement by then may not be possible.

He also revealed that Maoist politburo member Mallojula Venugopal had written to him, stating that Operation Kagar had severely weakened the organisation and suggested surrender as an option. Raji Reddy claimed he opposed the idea and insisted that such decisions be taken collectively by the central committee. He alleged that internal disagreements later led to divisions within the party, with some leaders allegedly colluding with the state and encouraging cadres in Odisha to surrender.