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Araku MLA sees bid to revive bauxite mining
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s meeting with the State DGP and heads of para-military forces here on Thursday evening didn’t appear to be a mere security review to curb Maoist activities in Odisha, AP, Telangana and Chattisgarh. As Araku MLA alleges that TDP is seeking help from Centre to revive bauxite mining in the State.
- Alleges that TDP is trying to renew bauxite mining with Centre’s support
- Cites Home Minister Rajnath Singh review meeting with DGP and others is only to promote bauxite in agency
- Even Left leaders concur that this meeting was not only to review security in Agency but much beyond it
Visakhapatnam: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s meeting with the State DGP and heads of para-military forces here on Thursday evening didn’t appear to be a mere security review to curb Maoist activities in Odisha, AP, Telangana and Chattisgarh. As Araku MLA alleges that TDP is seeking help from Centre to revive bauxite mining in the State.
Leaders of the Left parties including the elected political representatives belonging to opposition YSRCP in agency strongly believe that the meeting was to discuss how to extract bauxite from the agencies by neutralising Maoists and their sympathisers. If the bauxite mining project is through and the MoUs signed with Anrak and JSW executed, the aluminum would be major revenue earner for the State.
Araku MLA Kidari Sarvesara Rao told this correspondent on Friday that the Home Minister and police heads admitted that there was a decline in the activities of Maoists in the agency. “If the Maoists are not seen in the agency and what is the need for a battalion of BSF in Visakhapatnam?” the MLA said.
He said the TDP government headed by Chandrababu Naidu is determined to go ahead with the bauxite mining in the State and seeking help of the Central government. The MLA feared that if the BSF battalion is established in the district, there will be largecale repression which could harm the innocent tribals.
The district CPM and CPI leaders and environmentalists agreed with the MLA’s fears and said the BSF was not necessary when the Maoists-related activities had declined in the agency areas. However, in the meeting, the police bosses told the Home Minister that the outlawed Maoists were slowly regaining ground over Polavaram Project and bauxite mining issue in Andhra Pradesh. The officials were unanimous in their opinion that the bauxite would cause influx of Maoists from neighbouring States.
