Moppala Lakshmana Rao, also known as Ganapathy, the wanted leader of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), is likely to surrender before the Telangana police in a few days, officers familiar with the matter said on Thursday.
According to a senior police officer, Ganapathi, 77, who was suffering from serious health issues and hiding in Nepal for the past two years, was brought to New Delhi a few days ago and remained under the protection of Special Intelligence Branch (SIB) police authorities.
On Wednesday, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, along with DGP, DGP chief and SIB Intelligence chief, met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and briefed him on the recent surrender of top Maoist leaders from Telangana and Chhattisgarh, including Tiberi Tirupati alias Devji and Malla Rajireddy alias Sangram.
According to an official statement, CM Reddy Shah told that 591 Maoists surrendered over the past year. The Prime Minister also informed the Home Minister about the possibility of Ganapathi surrendering within a few days.
On February 25, Ganapathi’s younger brother, Ramchandra Rao, appealed to him through the media to surrender before the authorities. He told reporters that the family and villagers are eagerly waiting for Ganapathi to return home. According to him, many leaders who worked alongside Ganapathi have already surrendered. He also pointed out that Ganapathy is facing cases in as many as 12 states.
Rao urged state governments to withdraw the cases against his brother if he formally surrenders and returns to the mainstream of society.
There are only 26 days left for the Centre’s proposed deadline of March 31, 2026 to end left-wing extremism in the country.
On February 25, Ganapathi’s younger brother, Ramchandra Rao, appealed to him through the media to surrender before the authorities. He told reporters that the family and villagers are eagerly waiting for Ganapathi to return home. Rao urged state governments to withdraw the cases against his brother if he formally surrenders and returns to the mainstream of society.
According to police records, Ganapathy was born on June 16, 1949 in Birpur village of Jagittal district in Telangana, which was then part of undivided Karimnagar district. After completing his graduation in Karimnagar, he joined as a government teacher in government schools in Medipally and Elegedu.
During 1972-73, he went to Warangal for training in Bachelor of Education course, where he was influenced by the then Naxalite movement. In 1976, the police registered a case against him in connection with the murder of a landlord named Pitambara Rao in Tapalpur.
In 1978, he led the historic Jagti peasant movement which later led to the formation of the People’s War CPI (Marxism-Leninism) in 1980 in collaboration with Kondapalli Seetaramaiah.
Ganapathi played a pivotal role in expanding the Naxalite movement beyond the Telugu-speaking states. His rise within the organization came after his falling out with Seetaramaiah, the then general secretary of the party, who was expelled in 1991. Ganapathy was subsequently promoted to the post of general secretary, a position he held for nearly three decades.
