Gadchiroli, Nov. 19 -- Former Naxalite commander Mallojula Venugopal Rao, known as Bhupathi, has issued a video message appealing to the remaining Maoist cadres to abandon armed struggle and join the democratic mainstream.
The appeal comes a day after top insurgent leader Hidma was killed in an encounter along the Chhattisgarh-Andhra Pradesh border.
Hidma, commander of the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) Battalion No. 1, was killed on November 18 along with his wife Raje and six other Maoist members during an exchange of fire with security forces.
In the video released on Wednesday, Bhupathi, who surrendered to Maharashtra authorities on October 15, said the Maoist movement had lost more than it gained through decades of violen...