Maoist Central Committee calls surrendered naxals Sonu, Sathish traitors, asks public to punish them

The CPI (Maoist) condemned the recent surrender of Mallojula Venugopal Rao and Takkalapalli Vasudeva Rao, labeling them ‘traitors’. A statement issued by the Maoist Central Committee spokesperson urged the public to punish them and urged others who surrendered to reconsider

Kothagudem: The CPI (Maoist) has dubbed the recently surrendered Maoists Mallojula Venugopal Rao and Takkalapalli Vasudeva Rao as ‘traitors’ and asked the public to punish them.

In a four-page statement issued on Sunday and signed by the Central Committee Spokesperson Abhay, the CPI (Maoist) sought to explain how Venugopal Rao alias Sonu turned into a ‘renegade’ over the past several years. He suspected that Sonu was in touch with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the police after the surrender of his wife, Vimala Sidam alias Tarakka, to the police last year.

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While stating that the surrender of Sonu and Sathish was a betrayal, divisive and a counter-revolutionary act, Abhay maintained that if anyone who feared for their lives could surrender, but they should not surrender the weapons belonging to the party to the government.

The Maoist party faced a difficult situation in 2011 and suffered a setback by 2018. Operation Kagar started in January 2024, and the death of the party general secretary, Basavaraju, posed a challenge to the cadres, who faced a life and death situation every day. Sonu’s selfishness and desire for a comfortable life led to fear for his life, and it resulted in his surrender.

Abhay recalled that Sonu had presented a document in the Central Committee meeting held in December 2020 with conclusions on the shortcomings in the Dandakaranya revolutionary movement while finding fault with the party’s political and revolutionary stand.

However, the Central Committee rejected it. The party told Sonu to correct his wrong political views, individualism, egoism and extreme authoritarianism, but he failed to do so. Sonu breached the party’s discipline; he did not discuss his decision to surrender and divided the party in consultation with party members, Abhay said.

A decade-old Moderatism in Sonu and Sathish emerged into counter-revolution, and the party failed to assess the situation. The party would review such a failure and take a lesson from it. Individuals might surrender to the police, but the CPI (Maoist) party would not surrender. The setbacks were temporary; the party would learn its lessons and bounce back, Abhay asserted.

Abhay also appealed to the cadres who surrendered to the police along with Sonu and Sathish to reconsider their decision; come back to the party fold, and there would be no harm to them from the party.

The surrender of Sathish along with DKSZC members Santhu, Bhaskar and Ranitha indicated that Sathish was in touch with Chhattisgarh police and turned into a covert. Sonu, Sathish and those who surrendered to the police along with him were being expelled from the party.