TDP Chief Chandrababu Naidu
Visakhapatnam: Adivasis in the state were not enthused with the visit of Telugu Desam president N. Chandrababu Naidu, who addressed a public meeting in Araku valley and made a plethora of poll promises to the people. Many see him as a leader whose decisions were against the interests of the Adivasis and even threatened their existence.
They said it was Naidu who facilitated bauxite mining in the agency by issuing GO No 97 and passing a resolution in the Assembly on December 2, 2017 proposing merger of Boya Valmikis in ST list. His son Lokesh went a step ahead and announced in his Yuva Galam that the resolution would be repeated in the Assembly after coming to power in the ensuing elections.
“Adivasis lost trust in Naidu and voted for YSRC in 2014 and 2019 elections sweeping all the seven ST Assembly constituencies. They might repeat in 2024 elections also,’’ said Adivasi Joint Action Committee leader K. Kameswara Rao.
Another leader M. Rajababu, an activist from Chintapalli, said Naidu promised to revive GO No 3 that would give jobs to Adivasis in the agency areas. But the Adivasis would never believe since the decision to revoke GO No 3 would go against the interests of the non-tribals who form the financial backbone of the agency and always supported TD.
He said the tribals strongly believed that Naidu after coming to power would take up bauxite mining.
“The Chandrababu Naidu government at knifepoint made the Adivasi MLAs sign in favour of mining to extract the bauxite from the reserves of Jerrela and Raktakandi,” Rajababu said.
Another leader requesting anonymity said the bauxite led to the killing of Araku MLA Kidari Sarveswara Rao and his predecessor Siveri Soma by the Maoists. Sarveswara Rao, though elected on YSRC ticket, joined TD to get benefits from bauxite mines.
The leaders said they were not interested in YSRC either. As an alternative, they are planning to tie up with Bharat Adivasi Party and also having talks with Jharkhand Mukti Morcha to fight the 2024 elections as a tribal party.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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