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The Union government launched ‘Operation Kagaar’ on April 21, 2025, with the stated aim of eliminating “left-wing extremism”. In a major development, top Communist Party of India (Maoist) (CPI (Maoist)) commander Madvi Hidma was killed by security forces on November 18, 2025. The intensification of operations has come at a significant human cost, with hundreds of Adivasi individuals reportedly killed in Chhattisgarh in the past year alone.

Against this backdrop, The Wire spoke to Mallujola Venugopal Rao, also known as Sonu Dada or Comrade Bhupati, who surrendered in October 2025 along with 60 other cadres. The interview was conducted online following his surrender.

Rao hails from Peddapalli in Telangana. Born into a Brahmin family, his late father, Mallojhala Venkataiah, was a freedom fighter. He was one of three brothers, two of whom were influenced by Naxalbari’s revolutionary politics and went on to work and fight in the movement full time for decades, eventually serving as Central Committee members. His brother, Mallojhala Koteswara Rao, was killed in police firing in West Bengal in 2011.

Once among the most influential leaders of the movement, his decision to lay down arms raises important questions. Edited excerpts from the interview follow.

You surrendered in October 2025 amid reports of a party split. Why did you surrender, and what is the way forward?

Joining the Maoist Party was a long process rooted in my family’s political background. My father was a freedom fighter and my mother held progressive ideals. My younger brother was a key figure in forming the Radical Students Union (RSU).

Social conditions shaped me. Our region was extremely backward, dominated by feudal landlords who denied basic dignity to the poor. Youth from lower castes were denied dignity; even on their wedding night, a newly married bride was forced to spend the first night at the landlord’s house, a tradition that continued into the 1980s. Growing up in this environment, with a political atmosphere at home and cruel, outdated social atrocities around us, the revolutionary movement attracted youth across Telangana. Growing up amidst such atrocities, the revolutionary movement naturally attracted me. When a young person understands the political and social environment, it shapes their sense of duty. That is how it happened for me.

Since when has the party been reconsidering the armed struggle?

My life in the forest remains unforgettable. I became intertwined with the lives of Adivasis who were treated cruelly by the forest department. They had no land rights, food, healthcare or education. Serving them felt like a great responsibility.

The Adivasis were the true owners of the forest, yet lived as the most deprived. Our party believed they must have rights over natural resources and that power must go to the oppressed. The Adivasis protected our party more than their own lives, making sacrifices that are forever etched in history. We explained to them their exploitation and suffering. Like how the British misled Indians by claiming “India is a rich nation, but Indians are poor”, the Adivasis were the true owners of the forests, yet they lived as the most deprived. Our party believed that they must have rights over the forests and natural resources. It is believed that power must go to the oppressed classes in this country. Hence, it began its work in those regions.

Working among such people, not for a short time but for the longest period of my life, gave me immense satisfaction. 

Also read: Workers’ Protest Turns Violent in Noida, Adityanath First Invokes ‘Naxalism’ Angle, Then Hikes Minimum Wages

Critics say you are now choosing a “reformist” path. How would you answer those who question this sudden change of heart after 50 years?

I never planned to stop the struggle. However, certain “pen........

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