K’taka BJP leader slams Maoist surrender as ‘farce,’ accuses CM of embracing Maoist ideology

Bengaluru: Objecting to the surrender of Maoists and calling it a “farce”, Karnataka BJP General Secretary and MLA Sunil Kumar on Thursday said the Congress government in the state appears to have shifted from Gandhian principles to embracing Maoist ideology, with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah becoming a member of the “urban Naxal” politburo.

A group of six Maoists surrendered to the government in the presence of Siddaramaiah at his home office, ‘Krishna’, last evening.

They include four from Karnataka—Mundagaru Latha from Sringeri, Vanajakshi Balehole from Kalasa, Sundari Kutluru from Dakshina Kannada, and Mareppa Aroli from Raichur. The other two are Vasanth K from Vellore in Tamil Nadu and N Jeesha from Wayanad in Kerala.

“The state Congress government seems to have shifted from Gandhian principles to embracing Maoist ideology. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s home office ‘Krishna’ has turned into the Urban Naxals Headquarters, with Siddaramaiah becoming a member of Urban Naxal Polit Bureau,” Kumar posted on ‘X’.

“Is it truly democratic to greet those wielding guns with roses, serve them samosas, and file FIRs against innocent individuals? I object to this and will question the farce surrounding the surrender of Naxals,” he said.

Kumar had described the state government’s facilitation of the Maoists’ surrender on Wednesday as a “package” aimed at converting forest Naxals into urban Naxals.

The six Maoists who surrendered will be rehabilitated under categories ‘A’ and ‘B’ of the Naxal Surrender Policy Karnataka, 2024, and each will receive Rs 3 lakh.