Southern States - Andhra Pradesh   

CPI to team up with `likeminded parties'

By Our Staff Reporter

GUNTUR Nov. 25. The State secretary of the CPI, Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy, has said that his party will contest about 50 to 60 Assembly seats in the coming elections. He has predicted that the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would have to sit in the Opposition after the Assembly elections.

Talking to presspersons here today, Mr. Reddy said that the party would ally with "like-minded parties'' with a view to defeating the TDP-BJP combine. A decision on electoral adjustments with the Congress would be taken at the national level. He said that the CPI and the CPI(M) would take steps to ensure that their voting would surely go only one way. Mr. Reddy took exception to the allegation made by the Minister for Medical and Health, Kodela Sivaprasada Rao, that the Congress had a nexus with the People's War in organising the Alipiri blast.

The CPI secretary also alleged that it was the TDP leaders who were helping the PW procure arms. A former Minister in Anantapur district spent almost Rs. 20 lakhs for procuring modern firearms like AK-47s and supplied the same to the PW. Though the Police Department and the intelligence wings informed the powers-that-be about this, no action had been initiated against him, he pointed out. Alleging that the development had taken a back seat in the Chandrababu Naidu regime, he said it was the TDP which had provoked regional feelings in the State. The Government did not constitute regional development boards, which had the constitutional approval, and ignored the development of all regions. Had the TDP concentrated on the development of all regions, this problem would not have surfaced at all, he quipped.

The CPI would make all efforts to keep "religious parties'' out of power at the Centre. Mr. Reddy found fault with the caretaker Government in the State for effecting transfers of officials at all levels. He said it was wrong on the part of the Government to bring DWCRA women to public meetings addressed by the Chief Minister.

Referring to the naxalite issue, he said Mr. Naidu, who had been in the office of the Chief Minister for almost nine years, could not resolve it. On the other hand, TDP leaders were trying to blame the parties which were in the Opposition for long for the problems.

Later, Mr. Reddy addressed a meeting held on the district issues at Sri Venkateswara Vignyana Mandiram.

He dwelt at length on the irrigation, power sector and agriculture issues. He led a delegation to the District Collectorate in the evening and submitted a memorandum there.

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