Hyderabad: Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Sunday warned the Telangana politicians, who are allegedly supporting armed networks while preaching democracy.
Sanjay Kumar in a post on ‘X’ attached a media report which claimed that senior Naxalite Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias Bhupathi, who had surrendered before Maharashtra police recently, “revealed” about a secret collusion between a faction of the guerrillas and some Telangana politicians.
The Union minister in the post said, “Telangana politicians – consider this a warning. Those allegedly supporting armed networks while preaching democracy on stage, cut your links or get exposed. Central agencies won’t stop at Maoist cadres.”
“Whoever it may be, however big you think you are – step aside if you’re part of the problem. In matters of the nation’s internal security, even the tallest leaders will fall if they stand on the wrong side,” he wrote Bandi Sanjay.
The warning by the MoS came close on the heels of the claim by senior-most Maoist leader Mallojula Venugopal alias Bhupathi, after his recent surrender in Maharashtra, that there is a secret collusion between a faction of CPI (Maoist) and some Telangana politicians. Bhupathi, the CPI (Maoist) politburo member, who, along with 60 other cadres, surrendered before Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on October 15, reportedly told police that the Maoist party was disintegrating due to internal strife.
Bhupati, who carried a reward of Rs 6 crore, also stated that the outfit strayed from its fundamental principle of championing the cause of tribals and rural poor.
He claimed that a faction within the party’s Telangana State Committee operates under the secret protection of a section of Telangana politicians. Reacting to a series of surrenders by Maoists, Bandi Sanjay had earlier tweeted that “Naxalism” is collapsing.
In a post on October 16, he said 2,100 Maoists had surrendered since January 2024. Another 1,785 cadres were arrested and 477 eliminated. He stated that the surrender of 258 cadres in two days in Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra reflects a decisive decision by the Central government. “We remain committed to eradicating Naxalism by March 31, 2026,” he added.
