Latest Maoist leader to surrender reveals who now heads the rebels
Pulluri Prasad Rao (64), a Central Committee member, is the latest among the top leadership of the banned CPI (Maoist) to surrender. He cited ‘ill health’ and the intensified anti-Maoist operation by security forces as reasons for his surrender.
Earlier this month, the Maoist movement was dealt one of its most severe blows when Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias Sonu (70), a member of the CPI (Maoist)’s Politburo, surrendered in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli alongside 60 other cadres on October 14.
After surrendering on Tuesday, CPI (Maoist) Central Committee member Pulluri Prasad Rao, alias Chandranna, opened with a “lal salaam” at a press conference in Hyderabad.
Speaking to reporters, the 64-year-old, who has a bounty of Rs 40 lakh on him, confirmed that Thippiri Tirupathi, alias Devuji, is the general secretary of the Maoist party. This is the first time that a Maoist leader has confirmed that Devuji is the head of the party following the killing of his predecessor, Nambala Keshava Rao alias Basavaraju, in an encounter in May this year.
Chandranna surrendered before Telangana Director General of Police B Shivadhar Reddy on Tuesday. He said that he decided to surrender because of “ill health”, but he also added that Operation Kagar — a heightened security offensive against the Maoists — also had a role to play in the recent Maoist surrenders, including that of his own. “On the one hand, I was unwell; on the other, Operation Kagar was underway. So, I decided to surrender,” he said in the press conference.
Along with Chandranna, Telangana state committee member Bandi Prakash also surrendered on Tuesday.
Earlier this month, the Maoist movement was dealt one of its most severe blows when Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias Sonu (70), a member of the CPI (Maoist)’s Politburo, surrendered in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli alongside 60 other cadres on October 14.
Days later, as many as 170 Maoists have surrendered in Chhattisgarh. This included Takkalappalli Vasudeva Rao alias Rupesh (59), who is known as the Maoists’ bombmaker and is believed to have orchestrated the attack on Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on December 2, 2000.
With Sonu’s surrender, the weight of the movement rests on the shoulders of Devuji (62) and Madvi Hidma alias Santosh (51), both of whom have only headed the military wing of the party or the Central Military Commission (CMC).
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Devuji is believed to have taken over as the general secretary in September.
Apart from confirming Devuji’s current role in the party, Chandranna also said that there had been a split within the Maoist party ranks. “There are those who support Sonu and those who support Devuji. I support Devuji,” he said. Dressed in a neatly pressed white shirt and black pants, he added that the party is undergoing “changed circumstances” and claimed that they faced “state repression”.
Chandranna said he had gone underground 40 years ago. He had been a Central Committee member for 15 years.
Originally from Telangana’s Peddapalli district, Chandranna’s father was the head teacher of a school. He completed his class 10 in Peddapalli and went on to earn an undergraduate degree in the sciences. He was part of the Radical Students Union (RSU) and had joined the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) People’s War.
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While he had worked with Mallojula Koreswara Rao alias Kishenji, the slain brother of Sonu, who recently surrendered in Maharashtra, he said that within the party, most cadres now support Devuji.
Nikhila Henry is an Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in Hyderabad. With a career spanning 17 years, she has established herself as an authoritative voice on South Indian affairs, specialising in the complex intersections of politics, education, and social justice.
Experience & Career: Nikhila commenced her journalism career in 2007 as an education correspondent for The Times of India in Hyderabad,where she gained recognition for her coverage of student politics. Her professional trajectory includes a four-year tenure at The Hindu, where she focused on minority affairs and social welfare. In 2019, she took on a leadership role as the South Bureau Chief for The Quint, where she directed regional coverage across all five South Indian states. Her expansive career also includes a tenure at the BBC in New Delhi and contributions to prestigious international outlets such as The Sunday Times (London) and HuffPost India.
Expertise & Focus Areas
Nikhila’s reportage is marked by a deep-seated understanding of grassroots movements and institutional policy. Her core focus areas include:
Regional Politics: Comprehensive analysis of the socio-political dynamics across South India.
Education & Student Movements: Chronicling the evolution of Indian academics and the rise of youth activism.
Minority Affairs: Rigorous reporting on the welfare, rights, and challenges facing marginalized communities.
National Beat: Elevating regional stories to national prominence through investigative and on-ground reporting.
Authoritativeness & Trust
A respected figure in Indian media, Nikhila is not only a seasoned reporter but also an accomplished author and editor. She authored the critically acclaimed book The Ferment: Youth Unrest in India and edited Caste is Not a Rumour, a collection of writings by Rohith Vemula. Her dual background in daily news reporting and long-form authorship allows her to provide readers with a nuanced, historically-informed perspective on contemporary Indian society.
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