The outlawed Maoists have targetted the ruling TDP in Andhra Pradesh on bauxite issue. The outlawed group waiting to ride on the issue, to regain its lost ground in the agency areas of Visakhapatnam, axed to death a local TDP leader, sending a warning signal to the ruling party that is mulling to mine the bauxite in the Visakhapatnam forest areas.

Visakhapatnam: The ongoing issue of mining of bauxite in forest areas of Visakhapatnam district is all set to witness a bloody affair in the days to come, as the ruling party is mulling to convince the tribal’s for extracting the mineral.

For the first time, after years of laying low, the outlawed Maoists waiting in the wings to ride on the issue to regain their lost ground in the agency areas have axed to death a local TDP leader. Accusing S Satyanarayana, a local TDP leader for influencing the passage of a resolution by a local panchayat in 2008 in favor of mining bauxite, a group of Maoists had axed him to death.

The incident assumes significance as the Maoists resorted to violence, despite the fact in a recent meeting the same panchayat had passed another resolution disapproving the state government issuing a GO in concurrence with the Union Government’s in principal environmental permission for mining be bauxite to the state-owned Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation (APMNDC).

“The state government can not disregard a recent resolution passed by the panchayat concerned opposing mining of bauxite. Because, approval from the panchayat in scheduled forest areas is mandatory for any such economic activity. So, the earlier resolution passed in 2008 has no effect in the wake of a fresh resolution,” said a revenue official from the ITDA, Paderu.

Yet, if the Maoists choose to target the TDP leader, it means that they wanted to scuttle any process by the ruling party’s alleged move in the name of initiating a discussion with the local tribal population and to get their ascent to mine the bauxite mineral in the area, the sources pointed out.
The deceased had already denied that he had any role in the passage of an earlier resolution approving mining bauxite when he was the chairman of the local panchayat. But, it did not cut the ice with the Maoists. What has lead to the incident was that the deceased had participated in the ongoing Janma Bhoomi – Maa Vuru programme, and reportedly acting on behalf of a TDP people’s representative to whom the government had assigned to pick up some local leaders from the forest areas to initiate the process of discussion among the people in the tribal hamlets on mining of bauxite, possible development that comes to their area.

And, Satyanarayan was among a few of the ruling party leaders from the locality who were reportedly chosen to launch a dialogue through backdoors and to win over the village elders in G K Kothaveedi, Chintapalli, Jerrala and adjacent areas in the forest areas to favor the mining of bauxite. However, much before the intended efforts could even the be launched the outlawed group had attacked the TDP leader so as to send that it would not go to any extent on the issue if the ruling party government intends to mine the mineral.

Meanwhile, security has been beefed up in the forest areas following several MLAs, MLCs, senior party leaders and ministers are participating in the ongoing Janma Bhoomi – Maa Vuru programme.