Amit Shah’s deadline to end Naxalism looming, Maoists make a request: Give time till Feb 15 

In the letter, which is believed to have the support of the Central Committee of the Maoist party, Anant writes, “We support the recent decision taken by our party Central Committee and Politburo member Comrade Sonu to temporarily suspend the armed struggle by renouncing arms in view of changing circumstances in the country and the world.”

Anant’s reference was to a letter Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias Sonu wrote two months ago, in September, where he said that it is best to “stop the armed struggle” to “save the party”. Sonu himself surrendered before Fadnavis in October. This was followed by a spate of surrenders from within the Maoist ranks of Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana. Last week, top Naxal leader Madvi Hidma was killed in an encounter in Andhra Pradesh.

Anant’s letter cites the surrender of Central Committee member Pulluri Prasad Rao in Telangana and adds, “We, the MMC (Maharashtra-Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh Special Zonal Committee), also want to renounce arms and accept the government’s rehabilitation programme. However, we ask the three state governments to give us time.” As the party believes in “democratic centralism”, which makes it mandatory for each wing to consult others, Anant has asked for time till February 15. “It will take some time to reach this decision collectively. We need time to consult our comrades and convey this message to them,” the letter reads.

Anant reminded the Union government that February 15 is within the deadline given by the government to end Maoism – Home Minister Amit Shah has set a deadline of March 31, 2026, to end Naxalism in the country. “Till then, we request the three state governments to exercise some restraint and suspend the activities of their security forces,” the letter reads.

As a mark of faith, the Maoist party will not celebrate the formation of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army week on December 2, the letter reads. “Only with such efforts from both sides will a better atmosphere be created, and it will be possible for us to communicate with each other…We have no ulterior motive in asking for so much time…” Anant writes.

The letter also asks the government to broadcast the MMC’s decision to stop the armed struggle over the All India Radio. “This is the best way for our comrades to know the daily news from the country and the world… we have no other modes of communication,” the letter pointed out.

The letter follows another letter of the same order, written in September this year by the Central Committee of the party. “That letter requested the Union government for time to surrender. This letter has set a date,” an intelligence officer from Telangana said.

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