Naxals bid farewell to arms today

hyderabad: in a major development, nearly 46 naxalites, including five top leaders, of the janashakti group from karimnagar district are giving up underground life and surrendering before chief minister n chandrababu naidu at jubilee hall here on sunday. according to director-general of police p ramulu, the naxalites will lay down sophisticated weapons including the ak-47 rifles and usmade pistols.those surrendering include, janashakti karimnagar district committee secretary ranadheer, four district committee members and 40 squad members. the dgp said it was for the first time in the history of the left-wing extremist movement that so many naxalites are giving up arms, along with the weapons. the janashakti group shot into fame last year when its members abducted marthanda rao, a close relative of union minister of state for home affairs, ch vidyasagar rao, and released him after reportedly obtaining huge ransom. police sources said the mass surrenders were a result of an internal feud the janashakti group witnessing for the last two months. the group’s state leadership, headed by k rajanna, recently alleged that ranadheer pocketed huge amounts, the group collected towards the party funds. ranadheer responded to the allegations challenging rajanna and other leaders to come to the forest in karimnagar to verify the accounts. ranadheer also alleged that rajanna and his brother diwakar were misusing the party funds and living ‘air-conditioned’ lives in the cities. with the mass surrenders, the janashakti, which split into rajanna and veeranna factions a few years ago, is expected to be marginalisedconsiderably. ranadheer holds sway over the party activities in karimnagar and parts of medak and warangal districts.