India, May 22 -- The death of op Maoist leader Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju, is a huge setback to the Naxal cadres who are still in hiding, Chhattisgarh chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai in an interview with HT . Edited excerpts --

How was Nambala Keshav Rao traced and what impact will his death have on the Naxal cadres?

Basavaraju was the senior leader behind all the infamous incidents. This is a great success for the security forces. Basavaraju's death has broken the backbone of Naxal cadres and weakened them considerably. The forces had intelligence about him in the area. They have just returned from the operation. One thing is for sure, Basavaraj's death will now lead to more surrenders. This will also boost our forces in their c...