One of the biggest apprehensions before Andhra Pradesh split was that the resurgence of Maoists, who have a long history in the state. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had brushed away these claims and said that his party, the Telangana Rashtra Samhiti and the reds had the same idea of socio-economic development and problems would not arise.

However, latest developments show otherwise.

Left-wing extremists conducted the first plenary of the CPI (Maoist), Telangana State Committee, recently and sent a press note to media personnel expressing their views on various issues and the ruling establishment in Telangana.

In the note (dated March 31st) sent to the media on Tuesday, CPI (Maoist) said that the party’s first plenary held in the last week of February, 2015 has elected Maoist leader Haribhushan as state secretary.

During the 10 months after the formation of the state, farmer suicides have increased and the Telangana government has not made any comments about the issue.
— Press release by the CPI(Maoist)

The release added that the state government’s decision to allocate Rs 100 crore for development of Yadgirigutta temple did not benefit the weaker sections of society and alleged that it supported and benefited certain followers of the Telangana Chief Minister.

The Maoist party also condemned the decision of the TRS government to support the Land Acquisition Amendment Bill of the BJP-led NDA government.

The Telangana government has been silent on the issue of farmer suicides even though the numbers have almost tripled since the TRS came into power. Taking that into consideration, the rise of Maoists was not unexpected.
— Renowned activist and poet Vara Vara Rao told The News Minute

Rao has spent multiple terms in jail since 1973 and was even jailed for two years in the 1980s on charges of waging a war and conspiring against the state. He was later acquitted by a court.

A series of Right to Information (RTI) petitions filed by an NGO Rythu Swarajya Vedkika, revealed that 37,912 farmers had committed suicide since 1998.

The government has been neglecting the severity of farmer suicides and does not want to acknowledge the crisi
— Kirankumar Vissa, Rythu Swarajya Vedkika

The Maoist party also claimed that over 400 members attended the plenary. This comes a day after reports that Korukonda, in AP, may soon turn into a fortress with an army of 200-odd security forces camped in a permanent paramilitary base to flush out Moaists, hinting that the red rebels aren’t limited to Telangana.

Haribhushan, who has now been elected as the new secretary has been underground for the past two decades and carries a reward of Rs 20 lakh on his head.

Police sources said that the Maoists pose a serious threat to the state and necessary steps would soon be taken to curb their growth.

(This story has been edited for length.)