Koraput:
After saying that the government hadn't done enough to secure his release from the Maoists, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MLA Jhina Hikaka has, in a U-turn of sorts, said that he had no idea about the efforts undertaken by the authorities to free him as he was being held hostage by the Left ultras.
"I was inside...I had no way of knowing what the government was doing for my release," Mr Hikaka told NDTV. This in stark contrast to his letter, drafted in Maoist captivity, wherein he had accused the Odisha government of sheer apathy towards his plight and failure in protecting the rights of the tribals. He had also committed to resign as an MLA, snap all ties with his party and work for the tribal population in Laxmipur - a constituency from where he had won by more than 28,000 votes. The letter had been held as the MLA's undertaking to the Maoists in return for freeing him.
But two days after his release from the clutches of the Maoists, uncertainty still prevails over Mr Hikaka's next move. Senior BJD leaders, supporters and locals thronged his home in Laxmipur to urge him to reconsider his decision to step down as MLA. In a sign of his immense popularity, children from a local school also queued up outside his house to greet him. But despite having promised the Maoists of giving up his position as an MLA, Mr Hikaka told NDTV that he needed time to decide over his resignation, adding that the decision ultimately rested with the people.
"This is an internal matter. Whatever I decided will take time... Before I became an MLA, I used to work as a social activist. Now I will work even harder," Mr Hikaka said.
The MLA was released on Thursday morning after spending 32 days in captivity. He was handed over to his wife Koushalya Majhi and a Koraput-based lawyer, in Balipeta near Narayanpatna.