Bastar:The Bastar region, long synonymous with Maoist insurgency, witnessed a watershed moment on October 16 and 17.

In what is being described as the largest-ever surrender in India's internal security history, over 150 Maoists, led by Central Committee member Rupesh alias Satish Kofa, laid down their arms and joined the mainstream.

But Rupesh, a veteran of more than four decades in the banned CPI (Maoist) organisation, insists this was not a surrender.

Speaking exclusively to NDTV in Tadokot village, where the Maoists rested after crossing the Indravati River at Uspari Ghat, Rupesh said, "We are giving up our weapons, but we are not surrendering. We are changing the way of struggle for the people."

Rupesh, who once led several key military operations in the Bastar division, revealed that disillusionment within the Maoist ranks had been growing for years. "Many senior leaders realised that it was no longer possible to fight the people's war with weapons," he said.

He disclosed that former general secretary Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju had also suggested that the party must "lay down arms and decide future policies through democratic means." 

Source:Ndtv