Gadchiroli Naxal surrender marks start of maoism elimination: CM Fadnavis

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said that today marks an important day for Gadchiroli district, as the process of eliminating Maoism from the region began.

CM Fadnavis' remarks came after Naxal Commander Mallojula Venugopal Rao, alias Sonu, a senior CPI (Maoist) leader and Politburo member, along with 60 other Naxalites, surrendered at the Gadchiroli Police headquarters in the presence of the Chief Minister.

Speaking about the district's long struggle, CM Fadnavis said,"Today is an important day for Gadchiroli district. The process of eliminating Maoism from Gadchiroli began today. Gadchiroli district has been battling Maoism for over 40 years. Chandrapur, Bhandara, and Gondia were also initially affected by Maoism. Chhattisgarh and Telangana, bordering Maharashtra, were also plagued by Naxalism. Development was devoid of development. Young people were misled by the system."

He further added, "Sonu alias Bhupati's surrender is significant because 40 years ago, a new group, the Aheri Sironcha, was started in Gadchiroli. Bhupati was the one who initiated it, providing intellectual support and logistics."

On Tuesday, Rao laid down weapons along with 60 Maoist cadres in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli, signalling a potential move towards peace with the Centre.

In a statement, Rao requested a month's time to deliberate before initiating formal peace talks and urged the government to suspend armed operations against party cadres in the interim.

"I am laying down the weapons and will become a part of movements for providing relief for the oppressed in India. Since the last week of March 2025, our party has been engaged in peace talks with the government. The party's chief secretary issued a press statement in May, which kept an offer of a ceasefire while asking for a month's time to deliberate on laying down the weapons. Unfortunately, the Central government did not give their reply on it; rather, they have increased the intensity of their attacks," he said.

Rao emphasised that, following the CPI (Maoist) Chief Secretary's call for peace, they are ready for talks with the government.

"On May 21, in an attack by the Seema Surakhsha Bal, our Chief Secretary, comrade Basavraju, along with staff and guards, were killed. We took this decision not to leave his call for peace talks in the middle. Amid the ongoing mission by the Prime Minister, Home Minister and the police, we have decided to lay down our weapons and be part of the mainstream. We are ready for talks with the people appointed by the Union Home Minister. We will form a delegation among the people agreeing to our decision and participate in the peace talks," he added.