India - Maoists call for two-day Vizag Agency bandh

They demand that the government withdraw plans to take up bauxite mining The banned CPI (Maoist) has called for a bandh in the Agency areas of the district on October 12 and 13 demanding the Telugu Desam government withdraw move to mine bauxite in the Agency area. In a handwritten note sent to reporters in the Agency areas reportedly by CPI (Maoist) East Division secretary Kailasam, the Maoists said the Telugu Desam Party was solely responsible for the abduction of three Telugu Desam tribal leaders from GK Veedhi mandal. TDP mandal party president Mamidi Balayya Padal, senior leader Vandalam Balayya and district committee member Mukkala Mahesh were taken away from their homes at Kothaguda village in GK Veedhi mandal on last Monday evening by a group of Maoists. While charging the Maoists with using the bogey of bauxite mining the TDP government was trying to push through its MNC driven agenda of mining in the ecologically sensitive region, he said.
The Chief Minister and other leaders were making public statements that they would not take up any activity that was not supported by tribals and on the other hand suppressing all dissent. The government was not taking note of the series of protests by tribals on the bauxite mining issue. Worse, the police acting as stooges of its political masters were trying to muzzle the dissent by cutting off the public address system when a former legislator was speaking at a recent meeting in Koyyuru.

The police tried to stall another public meeting on the issue at Darakonda, the Maoist leader noted in his letter. The Maoists demanded that the government withdraw the moves by the AP Mineral Development Corporation to take up bauxite mining and shut its offices in the region. Earlier, Collector N Yuvaraj told media persons that the issue of abducted tribals was brought to the notice of the Chief Minister during his visit to the city. CM’s directive He said the Chief Minister had instructed the police to ensure the safety of the three persons abducted by Maoists. The government could respond only if there were some clear demands made for securing the release of the three tribal leaders, the CM is reported to have said.