Maoists using bauxite mining as pretext to kill: Naidu

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday said that his government has banned bauxite mining in the Araku Valley area after coming to power and the Maoists are using mining as a pretext for killing TDP legislator Kidari Sarveswara Rao and former MLA Siveri Somu.

Naidu visited the Araku Valley on Friday after returning from New York. From Visakhapatnam, Naidu went to Paderu where he reached out to Kidari's family.

Naidu announced Rs 1 crore assistance to the family and government job to Kidari’s second son. “We will politically take care of Kidari’s first son. It is a misnomer that the TDP government has encouraged bauxite mining that led to the killings. It was Y S Rajasekhara Reddy (YSR) who opened the Valley for bauxite mining,” Naidu said.

He said the government is facing cases in international courts for cancelling the leases given during the YSR regime. “Despite that, we have said a big no to mining as it would destroy the livelihood of the tribal community,” Naidu said.

He condemned the brutal and cold-blooded murder of two tribal leaders. “Genuine leadership in tribal areas is hard to find. After years of toil, only one becomes a leader and what message are the Maoists giving by killing such young leaders?” Naidu asked.

He later visited Siveri Soma's residence in Araku. Naidu declared Rs 15 lakh assistance (Rs 10 lakh from government and Rs 5 lakh from TDP) to each of the seven members of the former TDP MLA’s family. He also offered a government job to Siveri’s second son and a plot in Visakhapatnam. Naidu pointed out that none of the two slain leaders had own houses, indicating that they are not corrupt as alleged by the Maoists.

Director General of Police R P Thakur, who visited the spot where the TDP leaders were killed by the Maoists on Wednesday, attributed the incident to Intelligence failure arising out of lack of coordination between Greyhounds and other wings of the Police Department.

“We take the responsibility for the incident and assure the public that we will fight back against the Maoists,” Thakur told reporters. A Special Investigation Team (SIT), led by DCP (Law and Order) K Fakeerappa, is probing the Maoist attack.