PEDDAPALLI: CPI (Maoist) central committee member Mallojjula Venugopal alias Bhoopathi, brother of slain leader Mallojjula Koteshwar Rao alias Kishenji, has been accused of betrayal by the outfit, which ordered him to surrender his weapons, warning that the People’s Guerrilla Army would seize them if he failed to do so.
The development comes after a letter surfaced in the media last week under the name of “Abhay”, claiming to represent the Maoist central committee.
The letter, with the picture of an unknown leader, announced that the party was ready to declare a temporary ceasefire and was ready to relinquish arms. The unusual release and circulation of the letter on social media triggered widespread discussion in Maoist-affected regions.
The CPI (Maoist), however, has now formally dissociated itself from the statement.
In its clarification, the central committee declared Venugopal a traitor, insisting that the party had never authorised any such message or decision to give up the armed struggle.
