- Devuji spent 44 years underground and was a senior leader in the banned Maoist party
- He said lifting the ban on CPI (Maoist) is needed to end Left-wing extremism
- Devuji claimed official accounts of Madvi Hidma's death omit complex intelligence factors
Thippiri Tirupathi alias Devuji -- a former Maoist leader and the next in line for the general secretary post in the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) -- has claimed that the Telangana government's claim of their recent "surrender" -- is misleading and they were arrested. He and the others chose to remain outside jail by accepting the condition of Telangana police.
In an exclusive interaction with NDTV, Politburo Member Tippiri Thirupati, widely known by aliases Devuji and Kumma Dada, said he had not voluntarily surrendered, contradicting the official claims made by Telangana state.
"I did not surrender. I was arrested. The government narrative of surrender is incorrect," Devuji said. The 62-year-old spent 44 years underground and was one of the highest-ranking surviving leaders of the Maoist organisation.
A native of Korutla in Jagtial district of Telangana, he joined the movement in 1978 through the Radical Students Union and rose through the ranks. He began as an armed squad member in the 1980s, later becoming a commander in the Sironcha and Perimila forest regions.
By 2001, he was part of the Central Military Commission and in 2017 was elevated to the Politburo, the party's highest decision-making body. Under the pseudonym "Abhay," he also served as the party's spokesperson.
Asked about the March deadline set by the Union government to end Left-wing extremism, Devuji said the long-running insurgency could end if the government lifted the ban on the Maoist party and allowed it to participate in open politics. "If the government lifts the ban and recognises CPI (Maoist) as a political party, the issue of Maoism can end completely. Political problems need political solutions," he said.
He also dismissed the government's deadline-based surrender policies, saying such timelines fail to address the movement's ideological roots. "The government must engage politically rather than forcing timelines," he added.
Devuji also spoke about the circumstances surrounding the killing of senior Maoist commander Madvi Hidma, a key guerrilla leader who had long operated in the Bastar region who was killed by Andhra Pradesh police in November 2025.
The internal and external dynamics leading to Hidma's death were more complex than the official versions presented by security agencies, he said, suggesting that intelligence operations and deep infiltration had played a role in weakening the Maoist structure in recent years.
"Many factors led to Hidma's killing. The government narrative tells only part of the story," he said.
Alongside Devuji, senior Maoist figures and Central Committee Member Malla Raji Reddy, known by the alias Sangram who also surrendered, spoke to NDTV.
The 76-year-old had spent 46 years underground after joining the movement in 1971.
A resident of Telangana's Peddapally district, Sangram played a crucial role in organising workers in the Godhavarikhani coal belt.
Over the decades, he held several senior posts, including Secretary of the Forest Committee and in charge of the southwest Regional Bureau overseeing activities in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
He had earlier been arrested in 2007 but returned underground after securing bail in 2009. In recent years, he served as a guide to the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee.
He agreed that the Maoist movement has collapsed and now it is time to fight for their right under constitutional provisions.
