After using Nachika linga, the undisputed leader of the Chasi Mulia Adivasi Sangh (CMAS) of Narayanpatna in Koraput district, for years to gain control over this backward tribal region, the Maoists have suddenly turned against him.
In a release issued in Telugu on Wednesday evening, Daya, a member of the Andhra Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee (AOBSZC) and secretary of Koraput-Srikakulam committee of the outlawed CPI-Maoist party, has asked people in Narayanpatna to boycott Nachika and support the People’s liberation Guerrilla Army (PlGA) instead to take forward their “struggle for justice”.
Accusing Nachika of turning a renegade and striking a deal with the police to get rid of the multiple criminal cases pending against him, Daya has called upon the people in Narayanpatna to disown him as their leader for shunning his ideals to pursue his ‘selfish personal agenda’.
local sources, however, said Nachika, who spent years working as a bonded labourer, continues to be a hero figure among the local tribals for his ‘integrity’ and commitment to their longstanding demands.
Nachika, the sources said, earned the wrath of the Maoists after he refused join their ranks and toe their line.
It may be recalled that Nachika, who has gone underground since 2010, was all set to surrender before a local court onMarch 11 this year. However, this did not materialise because some powerful leaders of the ruling BJD were allegedly opposed to the idea as they feared that Nachika would contest the elections as an Independent candidate thereby jeopardising their political future.
Police sources said it is true that Nachika has severed all ties with the Maoists, but there is no clarity over his next course of action.
local sources said Nachika’s life is under grave threat now. He may be keen to operate overground and join the mainstream, but everything would depend on whether the Maoists and the police grant him the opportunity, a rights activist said.