The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : CPI(M) deplores bid to politicise tsunami tragedy

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 29, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

CPI(M) deplores bid to politicise tsunami tragedy

By Our Staff Reporter

NAKREKAL (NALGONDA DT.), DEC.28. The general secretary, Communist Party of India (Marxist), B. V. Raghavulu, has advised the Congress and the Telugu Desam against attempting to derive political mileage out of the tsunami devastation.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the party's Nalgonda district unit conference here on Tuesday, he said: "TDP leaders are blaming the Congress and the Congress leaders are busy holding press conferences. This politicisation does not suit this hour of crisis.''

First-aid first

Maintaining that first-aid had not reached the victims on time, the CPI (M) leader advised the Government to sanction boats and nets free-of-cost so that the fishermen could start a new life.

List of victims

"The Government must construct houses and help the fishermen start work and come out of this trauma," Mr. Raghavulu said. He wanted a high-level committee to prepare a list of victims.

"Since the Chief Minister announced that the Government would construct 30,000 houses for the victims, brokers and middlemen may try to play gimmicks," he cautioned. Regarding pending projects, Mr. Raghavulu asked the State Government to pressure the Centre to give counter guarantee to get loans to ground works of the irrigation projects and utilize the resources on priority basis.

`Only two issues'

He called upon party cadre to fight the Congress policies.

"We need not shun our individualism though we support the Manmohan Singh Government. We will oppose anti-people polices,'' he added. He charged the State Government with "ignoring crucial problems". "For the last six months politics have been revolving round only two issues -- peace talks with naxals and claims for a separate State," he said.

Mr. Raghavulu released a CD of revolutionary songs hailing the contribution of Mallu Venkata Narasimha Reddy, a leader of Telangana armed struggle and party central committee member, who passed away recently. Mallu Swarajyam, a central committee member and wife of the departed leader, party MLAs, N. Narasimhaiah and J. Ranga Reddy, and former MLAs, N. Raghava Reddy and N. Narasimha Reddy were present.

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