Hyderabad, Mar 14 (PTI) CPI (Maoist) leader Thippiri Tirupati alias Devuji, who recently surrendered before Telangana Police, on Saturday demanded that the Centre lift the ban on the outfit and recognise it as a political party, though the organisation does not favour participating in electoral politics.
Speaking to PTI Videos, he said his outfit is ready to lay down arms if it is recognised as a legal political party.
“We requested the Chief Minister (A Revanth Reddy, during a recent meeting) to bring the matter to the notice of the Centre (about lifting the ban). The CM responded positively and spoke to the Union Home Minister (Amit Shah). They say that only the government should have arms, and not others. We also say that we will handover arms if our party is recognised as a legal party,” he said.
The CPI (Maoist) suffered losses as many Maoists were either arrested or died or surrendered after the Centre’s anti-Maoist ‘Operation Kagar’ started, he said.
In the wake of the anti-Maoist operations, survival itself was a priority for the organisation, he said.
Devuji, who joined the Naxal agitation in 1982, said he joined the group because he was attracted to its ideals of fighting against exploitation and loot.
Looking back, he said there have been successes in working for people’s causes through the CPI (Maoist) though the outfit is in a poor shape now.
He said he had a good relationship with the CPI (Maoist) General Secretary Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju and felt sad when the former died in an encounter with security forces in May 2025 in Chhattisgarh.
Devuji said he does not want to join any political party as CPI (Maoist) itself is a political party.
“The CPI (Maoist) is a political party. We brought it to the chief minister’s notice to lift the ban on the organisation,” he said.
He also demanded the release of Maoist sympathisers jailed across the country under the label of “urban naxals” or others by recognising them as “political prisoners”.
“We don’t want to enter the path of ballot. It is the path of ballot if we participate in the parliament and assembly elections. We don’t want to participate in parliament and assembly polls,” he told TV channels here.
He said many people have become “martyrs” since the Maoist agitation began in the country. He and his colleagues would like to undertake a long-term programme to support the families of those “martyrs”.
Devuji also said the term “urban naxal” is wrong as it has no definition as per law.
Asked if he ever felt that the deaths of police were wrong in Maoist-related incidents, he claimed that governments have to take responsibility for it.
He said “war” was inevitable when Maoists sought to dislodge the “system”. There are losses for both Maoists and security forces.
The governments provide housing and livelihood to the kin of security personnel who were killed, he said.
Asked how he saw the transformation in society since the times of inequalities in the past to the present age of globalisation, Devuji said exploitation and loot are going on, though in a different form.
Quoting reports of organisations like Oxfam (an NGO working to ‘end discrimination’), he said wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few.
On reasons for Naxal agitation weakening, he said, among others, there was a delay in preparing a programme of action as per changes in society.
On the killing of Maoist leader Hidma in Andhra Pradesh, Devuji claimed that the former was deceived by a person he trusted. Hidma was killed after being caught and tortured, he claimed.
On February 24, Devuji surrendered before the Telangana police, after over four decades of underground life.
Besides Devuji, another central committee member, Malla Raji Reddy, and two other ultras — Bade Chokka Rao @ Jagan and Nune Narasimha Reddy @ Ganganna also laid down their arms.
Devuji is a native of Korutla town, Jagtial district in Telangana. His father, Venkata Narsaiah, was a farmer. He joined CPI (ML) People’s War in January 1982 and has mostly operated in Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra. PTI SJR GDK SJR KH
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