Split among Naxals? Maoist leader Abhay's call for surrender sparks rift

Hyderabad: A letter from CPI Maoist spokesperson and Politburo member Abhay announcing willingness to surrender arms and launch peace negotiations with the government appears to have created visible divisions within the Naxal ranks.

The letter and an audio clip, which surfaced few days ago, have been confirmed as authentic, according to sources in the Indian intelligence department.

However, the Telangana committee of the CPI Maoists has distanced itself from the announcement, characterising it as Abhay's personal opinion rather than the party's official position, a response that suggests a potential split among the cadres.

In a statement purpotedly written by, Jagan, spokesperson for the CPI Maoists' Telangana committee, criticised Abhay's approach. "If Abhay had sent his opinion through proper Party channels, he would have received responses," Jagan wrote.

"Instead, by making such a critical issue public in this manner, confusion is being created within Party ranks and the revolutionary camp. The method he has adopted does not help the movement but indeed harms it," he said.

The controversy centers around Mallojula Venugopal Rao, brother of slain top Naxal leader Mallojula Koteswar Rao, who operates under the aliases Abhay and Sonu. He is a member of the Central Committee and Politburo, the highest bodies in the CPI Maoists.

Notably, Rao was a strong contender for the general secretary position, the top-ranking role in the outlawed Maoist party competing alongside Thippiri Tirupathi, who was recently named CPI Maoists general secretary.

Unusually, Abhay in his letter dated August 15 had also sought opinions from other Left ideologues, cadres, and those underground and unreachable, asking them to send their views on the proposal to surrender arms via email and through a Facebook group. The letter also contained a photograph of Abhay.

In his response, Jagan outlined the broader context of the conflict, "Across the country, numerous intellectuals, organizations, and prominent persons have made appeals to halt this bloodshed. Meetings were organized on this issue in several other states as well.

Many political parties raised strong voices demanding an end to the Kagar war campaign. Despite this, the BJP leadership has openly declared that, guided by fascist ideology and in violation of the Constitution and law, it would continue the eradication campaign at all costs. The attacks in this campaign have intensified."

"Despite nationwide appeals to stop Kagar, the BJP has continued this massacre with violent, anti-people policies. Moreover, BJP leaders have repeatedly declared that they would not hold talks with Maoists—stating instead that Maoists must lay down arms and surrender. At this point, Comrade Sonu, a Central Committee member, announced that he was stepping away from armed struggle and requested one month's time to consult various Party leaders, cadres, and sympathizers for their views, asking them to send their opinions to his personal email address," the letter said.

Jagan emphasised that such methods are unprecedented. "This method of making announcements is incomprehensible.

If one wishes to leave the movement and join the mainstream to work legally, one must first consult within the Party Committee and seek approval.

No party today—whether in this country or abroad—makes such critical decisions openly through the internet. Certainly not a clandestine party bound by the principles of democratic centralism, especially in a situation of severe repression. Responsible comrades in such times would never choose this path," Jagan said.

He added that from the highest to the lowest ranks, everyone in the Party today was seriously considering the problems before us, and nobody wants unnecessary losses. Therefore, this issue cannot be solved through such public declarations. One must understand that such blunders happen in times of extreme repression. A concrete solution may not emerge immediately. The only immediate duty is to implement the circular issued by the Politburo in 2024.

"The killings happening in the name of policy today make it clear to the world that mass repression has intensified. Such methods only damage the movement, yielding no benefit.

This is not an official Party statement. The revolutionary camp and other political parties need not treat it as such, nor is there any need to be confused by this announcement. Instead, the only task before us is to intensify struggles against the fascist BJP's anti-people policies," Jagan said in the letter.

A former high-ranking Naxal leader who surrendered to police several years ago told DH that such differing opinions are common everywhere. The former top-ranking Naxal also confirmed that the audio belonged to Abhay, as he could recognize his voice from having worked with him previously.