Maoist Leader Demands Lifting of Ban, Recognition as Political Party

CPI (Maoist) leader Thippiri Tirupati alias Devuji, who recently surrendered before Telangana Police, on March 14, demanded that the governments lift the ban on the outfit and recognise it as a political party, though the organisation does not favour participating in electoral politics. He also demanded the release of Maoist sympathisers jailed across the country under the label of ‘urban naxals’ or others by recognising them as “political prisoners”. “We don’t want to enter the path of ballot. It is the path of ballot if we participate in the parliament and Assembly elections. We don’t want to participate in parliament and assembly polls,” he told TV channels here. Asked if he is in favour of starting a political party, he said the CPI (Maoist) is already a political party. He sought the lifting of the ban on the outfit. He said many people became “martyrs” since the Maoist agitation began in the country. He and his colleagues would like to undertake a long-term programme to support the families of those “martyrs”. Talking about his and other surrendered Maoist leaders’ recent meeting with Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy , Devuji said they sought rolling back the ban on Maoists and recognising the organisation as a legal political party. The Maoist leaders also urged him to recommend to the Union Home Ministry to remove the ban. Reddy had taken up the issue with Union Home Minister Amit Shah . However, Devuji said he is not aware of the outcome of the meeting. He said the CPI (Maoist) is ready to dissolve its armed wing – People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) – if the Centre and state governments assure that they have started the process of recognising the Maoist organisation as a legal political party. Devuji also said the term ‘urban naxal’ is wrong as it has no definition as per law. Asked if he ever felt that the deaths of police were wrong in Maoist-related incidents, he claimed that governments have to take responsibility for it. He said “war” was inevitable when Maoists sought to dislodge the “system”. There are losses for both Maoists and security forces. The governments provide housing and livelihood to the kin of security personnel who were martyred, he said. Asked how he saw the transformation in society since the times of inequalities in the past to the present age of globalisation, Devuji said exploitation and loot are going on, though in a different form. Quoting reports of organisations like Oxfam (an NGO working to ‘end discrimination’), he said wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few. On reasons for Naxal agitation weakening, he said, among others, there was a delay in preparing a programme of action as per changes in society. On the encounter killing of Maoist leader Hidma in Andhra Pradesh, Devuji claimed that the former was deceived by a person he trusted. Hidma was killed after being caught and tortured, he claimed. On February 24, Devuji surrendered before the Telangana police, after over four decades of underground life. Besides Devuji, another central committee member, Malla Raji Reddy, and two other ultras — Bade Chokka Rao @ Jagan and Nune Narasimha Reddy @ Ganganna also laid down their arms. Devuji is a native of Korutla town, Jagtial district in Telangana. His father, Venkata Narsaiah, was a farmer. He joined CPI (ML) People’s War in January 1982 and has mostly operated in Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra.