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The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, N Chandrababu Naidu, has asserted that the Telugu Desam Government is totally against bauxite mining proposal in Visakhapatnam district and he has rubbished speculation that Maoists might have killed Araku MLA, K Sarveswara Rao, and former MLA, S Soma, for that reason.
He was speaking at Araku and Paderu in the eastern ghats of Visakhapatnam district on Friday after consoling the family members of the two slain TDP leaders. The two were gunned down on Sunday by the Maoists when they were on their way to attend a village meet (Grama darshini) at the Araku Assembly constituency.
Replying to presspersons, he said: "Where is the question of bauxite mining ? The Telugu Desam Government has repeatedly stated that bauxite mining will not be allowed in the agency area of Visakhapatnam district. In fact, it was the late Rajasekara Reddy, the then Congress Chief Minister, who cleared the bauxite mining proposal. When the TDP came into power, we cancelled all the leases. I myself stated at a public meeting at Paderu that bauxite mining would not be allowed in the agency area and the slain MLA, Sarveswara Rao, was also present in the meeting. It is utter non-sense to suggest that bauxite mining is behind the killings. If anybody is doing it, it is only a pretext or plain mischief."
He said he was on his way to the US on Sunday when news reached him that the two leaders had been killed in Visakhapatnam agency area and soon after his return, he came to Araku to console the families. He praised the two as "young, dynamic leaders striving for the welfare of the Girijans in the constituency and the action of the Maoists in killing such selfless people's representatives should be condemned by one all. There is no place for violence in a democracy."
He said the Government and the TDP would stand by the families of the slain leaders. He announced Rs 1 crore each to the families and also jobs to the family members. House sites would also be allotted to them in Visakhapatnam, he added.
In response to a query on the possible security lapses, he said the police were going into it and all steps would be taken to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.
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