Members of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) operating across Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have formally asked the Union government and the three state governments for time until February 15, 2026 to “temporarily suspend arms struggle” and move towards surrender.
A detailed letter, signed by Anant, spokesperson of the Maharashtra–Madhya Pradesh–Chhattisgarh (MMC) Special Zonal Committee, was released on November 22 and became public on November 24, Indian Express reported.
Addressed to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai, and Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav, the document urges all three governments to immediately stop combing and anti-Maoist operations to allow what Anant calls an “eventless surrender.”
Anant writes that the MMC Zonal Committee endorses the “recent decision” announced by the party’s Central Committee and Politburo member Comrade Sonu to temporarily lay down arms.
“We support the recent decision taken by our party Central Committee and Politburo member Comrade Sonu to temporarily suspend the armed struggle by renouncing arms in view of changing circumstances in the country and the world,” Anant states.
His reference is to a letter issued in September, in which Mallojula Venugopal Rao, widely known as Sonu, said it was best to “stop the armed struggle” in order to “save the party.”
Sonu later surrendered before Maharashtra CM Fadnavis in October, triggering a string of surrenders from Maoist cadres across Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana.
The wave of desertions inside the organisation comes at a moment of intensified state pressure.
Just last week, senior Naxal commander Madvi Hidma was killed in an encounter in Andhra Pradesh.
Anant’s letter points to the recent surrender of Central Committee member Pulluri Prasad Rao in Telangana and signals the MMC’s willingness to follow the same path.
“We, the MMC (Maharashtra–Madhya Pradesh–Chhattisgarh Special Zonal Committee), also want to renounce arms and accept the government’s rehabilitation programme. However, we ask the three state governments to give us time,” the letter says.
The committee invokes the Maoist organisational principle of democratic centralism, under which every unit is obligated to consult its entire structure before taking major decisions. Because of this, Anant says, the MMC needs time until February 15, 2026, to arrive at a final, collective resolution.
“It will take some time to reach this decision collectively. We need time to consult our comrades and convey this message to them,” he writes.
The letter also underscores that the requested date lies well within the Union Home Ministry’s own target for ending the Maoist insurgency. Home Minister Amit Shah has set March 31, 2026, as the deadline for eliminating Naxalism.
“Till then, we request the three state governments to exercise some restraint and suspend the activities of their security forces,” Anant appeals.
As a gesture of good faith, the MMC says it will not observe People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) Week on December 2, breaking from an annual practice.
“Only with such efforts from both sides will a better atmosphere be created, and it will be possible for us to communicate with each other…We have no ulterior motive in asking for so much time…” Anant writes.
The letter further requests that the government broadcast the MMC’s declaration to suspend armed struggle on All India Radio so that the information reaches cadres still underground.
“This is the best way for our comrades to know the daily news from the country and the world… we have no other modes of communication,” the letter notes.
According to a senior intelligence officer in Telangana, this communication is the second in a series of appeals from within the party’s upper ranks.
He says the Central Committee had written a similar letter earlier in September, urging the Union government to grant time for a collective surrender.
“That letter requested the Union government for time to surrender. This letter has set a date,” the officer said.
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