AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi would, in all probability, be taking out a padayatra in the Visakha Agency area in June to mark 10 years of restoration of forest rights, former Speaker Nadendla Manohar said at a meeting of Congress leaders and elected representatives here on Wednesday.
Former Tribal Welfare Minister P. Balaraju was among those present.
The actual date and location of Mr. Gandhi’s programme is yet to be decided.
“The padayatra could either be at Chintapalli or Paderu, and a decision would be taken during a meeting to be held in New Delhi next week,” Mr. Manohar said.
The Congress brought the RoFR Act to do justice to the tribal groups and give them their due rights on the forest produce, Mr. Manohar recalled. “During the 10-year UPA rule, the tribal people gained considerably but unfortunately the Telugu Desam Party, which opposed bauxite mining while in the Opposition, is hell-bent on going ahead with it,” he said criticising Tribal Welfare Minister Ravela Kishore Babu for his recent statement.
The Minister had said that the government would take up bauxite mining only after convincing the Girijans, who were opposing the government’s plans and demanding withdrawal of GO No. 97 issued last year handing over 1,414 acres of Forest Department land in the Jerrela area to the AP Mining Development Corporation which is the front agency to take up mining.
BSF in Agency
He came down heavily on TD government for seeking a BSF company in the Agency. He criticised the government for spending from Tribal Sub-Plan funds for paying for deployment of Central paramilitary forces in the Agency.
