Days after seeking time till Feb to suspend arms struggle, Maoists declare willingness to lay down arms on Jan 1
The Maharashtra–Madhya Pradesh–Chhattisgarh (MMC) Special Zonal Committee of the CPI (Maoist)has also requested that security forces halt operations until the proposed date.
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis sternly warned legislators against repeatedly mentioning the 'Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana' during discussions of unrelated issues in the Assembly. (File) Days after members of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) requested the government for time till February 15, 2026, to “temporarily suspend arms struggle”, its Maharashtra–Madhya Pradesh–Chhattisgarh (MMC) Special Zonal Committee has proposed January 1, 2026, as the date for laying down arms and accepting the government’s rehabilitation policy. The latest press statement was issued on Thursday.
The press communication issued by Anant, spokesperson for the MMC, was addressed to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and Home Minister Vijay Sharma, and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.
The letter states that the party is willing to give up arms collectively rather than in fragmented surrenders. The MMC has also requested that security forces halt operations, including arrests and encounters, until the proposed date.
“We will try to contact our scattered comrades during this period. Continued operations will disrupt the process and slow our efforts,” the letter reads. The group also stated that it would prefer to surrender before the chief minister or home minister of the state that extends maximum cooperation.
The communication referred to earlier high-profile surrenders, including that of Satish Dada in Chhattisgarh and Sonu Dada in Maharashtra, adding that they would prefer a similar symbolic surrender before the political leadership.
The letter acknowledged a recent public response by Chhattisgarh Home Minister Vijay Sharma, who suggested that 10–15 days would be enough to initiate the surrender process. While welcoming his openness to consider proposals and demands, the MMC stated that the time period was insufficient, but insisted the ‘January 1’ date should be acceptable to the government.
The letter also expressed willingness to communicate with the Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh governments, from which it claims to have received no formal response so far, unlike Chhattisgarh.
In a bold move, the organisation also publicly released an open Baofeng radio frequency (435.715 MHz) for internal communication, stating that cadres across the zone would attempt to contact each other daily between 11 – 11.15 am until January 1.
The group appealed to cadres to remain calm, suspend all activities, refrain from impulsive action, and to not surrender individually. The letter also stated that People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) Week would not be observed this year.
The MMC has requested to all three states that the statement be broadcast for two days before regional radio news bulletins, and that an audio message be aired before the bulletin for cadres for at least ten days.
It has also appealed to public representatives and journalists to continue supporting the process. The appeal concludes with a request to senior cadres Sonu Dada and Satish Dada to communicate the message to state governments and aid a peaceful transition.
Earlier, in a letter released on November 22, the outfit had asked the chief ministers to stop combing operations in their respective states to facilitate “eventless surrender”. It requested the Union and state governments for time until February 15, 2026, to “temporarily suspend arms struggle”, while reminding that the date was within the deadline set by the government to end Naxalism in the country, referring to the date of March 31, 2026, set by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
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