Telangana Key Maoist Leaders to Join Mainstream

Because of health concerns, top Maoist leaders Azad and Raji Reddy alias Venkatesh are willing to surrender and join the mainstream, said Director General of Police M Mahendra Reddy on Friday. He said that the Covid-19 outbreak, which has impacted the entire globe, has also put the Maoist party in difficulty due to an absence of proper healthcare facilities. He added that Azad and Raji Reddy's health had worsened at one point, but they had recovered. The cadre was also dissatisfied in the wake of Covid and other forest illnesses, with the finest example being Telangana State Secretary Haribushan alias Yapa Narayana, who died of Covid.

"Maoist leaders are willing to leave the party and join the social mainstream, but the leadership is deploying armed dalams and threatening them not to surrender," Mahender Reddy stated at a press conference to announce Haribushan's wife Jajjeri Samakka alias Sharada's surrender. The DGP stated that 10 Maoists had died of Covid thus far and that in Haribushan's case, the party tried to hide the fact for fear of an outflow of cadre from the party, but had to eventually reveal that he died of Covid. So far, no one has been named as Telangana State Secretary, and Maoist leader Damodar is still in charge, while Chandranna supervises operations in Telangana. 

According to him, the Telangana State Committee has 115 members. Only 14 of them are from Telangana, with the rest hailing from Chhattisgarh and the Gutti-Koya community, which is based in Cherla in the Bhadradri Kothagudem district.