Hyderabad: In a significant move, Maoist military commission head Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraj has taken charge as the new general secretary of the left extremist outfit.
Maoist spokesman Abhay in a statement said Muppala Laxmana Rao alias Ganapathy, who led the banned Maoists since its inception in 2004, had stepped down due to health and age-related issues.
The statement was dated November 10, but was released on November 28.
According to the statement, the leadership change took place in the fifth central committee meeting which discussed the proposal of Ganapathy nominating Basavaraj as his successor and accepted it.
Basavaraj is known for being an expert in explosives and military tactics. He has been underground for the last 28 years.
He graduated from the Regional Engineering College (REC) in Warangal. He was often arrested in Srikakulam for his agitations and the protests that he led in his student days.
In the two-page statement, Abhay said, “In light of his failing health, the general secretary offered to voluntarily step down to strengthen the central committee.”
Kesava Rao, 63, is a native of Jiyannapeta of Kotabommali mandal of Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh.
Ganapathy is from Birpur of Jagtial district and he worked as a school teacher in Karimnagar district and joined the then CPI (ML) Peoples War in the early 1970’s inspired by its founder Kondapalli Seetharamaiah.
Interestingly Ganapathy replaced his guru Seetharamaiah during the internal struggle in the People’s War Group in 1992 and was elected as party general secretary in June 1992.
He continued in this position after this group merged with the erstwhile Bihar-based CPI(Marxist-Leninist) (Party-Unity) in 1998 and the unified CPI(ML)(PW) merged with the Bihar-based Maoist Communist Centre of India (MCCI) in 2004.
The statement disclosed that the 9th Congress of the party led to the development of a military line and guerrilla bases were built.
It was said that the other major development during his tenure was the merger of CPI ML People’s War with the Maoist Communist Centre of India (MCCI) which was hailed as “a great leap” for the Indian revolutionary movement. The Unity Congress held in 2007 elected Ganapathy as general secretary unanimously.
Hailing the services of Ganapathy, the Maoist statement said, “In the period of 25 years from 1992 to 2017 during which Ganapathy performed his responsibilities as general secretary, the movement faced several ebbs and flows and advanced.”
The statement expressed hope that the current leadership change would further strengthen the revolutionary movement.
The party disclosed that Basavaraj had been in the forefront of the party for three-and-a-half decades and had successfully provided leadership as secretary of various committees, as member of the central committee for 27 years and as member of the politburo for the past 18 years.
The party said that Kesava Rao mainly was in-charge of the Central Military Commission and played a vital role in the advancements of the group.
The party said that these changes made in the Central Committee of the party were part of the process of development of the entire party.
