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In a significant development, Naxal Commander Mallojula Venugopal Rao, alias Sonu, a senior CPI (Maoist) leader and its Politburo member, along with 60 other Naxalites, surrendered in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at the Gadchiroli Police headquarters.
On Tuesday, Rao laid down weapons along with 60 Maoist cadres in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli, signalling a potential move towards peace with the Centre. In a statement, Rao requested a month's time to deliberate before initiating formal peace talks and urged the government to suspend armed operations against party cadres in the interim. "I am laying down the weapons and will become a part of movements for providing relief for the oppressed in India. Since the last week of March 2025, our party has been engaged in peace talks with the government. The party's chief secretary issued a press statement in May, which kept an offer of a ceasefire while asking for a month's time to deliberate on laying down the weapons. Unfortunately, the Central government did not give their reply on it; rather, they have increased the intensity of their attacks," he said. Rao emphasised that, following the CPI (Maoist) Chief Secretary's call for peace, they are ready for talks with the government. "On May 21, in an attack by the Seema Surakhsha Bal, our Chief Secretary, comrade Basavraju, along with staff and guards, were killed. We took this decision not to leave his call for peace talks in the middle. Amid the ongoing mission by the Prime Minister, Home Minister and the police, we have decided to lay down our weapons and be part of the mainstream. We are ready for talks with the people appointed by the Union Home Minister. We will form a delegation among the people agreeing to our decision and participate in the peace talks," he added. Rao further requested, "We ask for one month from the Centre to hold discussions with our comrades in several states, and also those in jails. We are also ready to hold talks via video calls. This will depend on the one month's time you grant by putting a stop to the bloodshed in the jungles. Our party, leftist organisations, and sympathisers can send us their views, and we will consider them." This comes amid the sustained anti-Maoist operations led by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and state governments across the country. In September, Rao had indicated his intention to lay down arms, receiving support from a significant number of Maoist cadres in Chhattisgarh and other parts of India. (ANI)
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