The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Karat condemns ‘repression’

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Thursday, Jun 21, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Karat condemns ‘repression’

Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD: Condemning the "repression" unleashed by the police on Left parties against the land struggle, CPI (M) general secretary Prakash Karat has advised the Government to arrive at a settlement on distribution of land and house sites to the poor.

Speaking to reporters here on Wednesday, Mr. Karat said the Government could hold discussions with the Left parties in this direction taking the Koneru Ranga Rao Land Committee report as the basis. "Repressive measures like filing false cases against agitating people will not end the movement," he said, asserting that Congress president Sonia Gandhi told Left leaders that she was not opposed to the demand.

Mr. Karat said the CPI (M) had mobilised people to see that their demands for land and house sites was fulfilled. But, the response from Government was negative leading to lathicharge even on women and arrest of leaders, including the party’s State secretary B.V. Raghavulu who was taken into custody in Chittoor on Wednesday morning. Replying to queries, he said land reforms in West Bengal were internationally recognised and accounted for 22 per cent of surplus lands distributed across the country.

At a separate press conference, CPI State secretary K. Narayana ridiculed the ongoing political training camp of the Congress claiming that the party had a chance of coming back to power if it implemented the land panel’s recommendations. Announcing that the party would paralyse the administration in the districts by laying siege to Collectorates on Thursday, he demanded that the Government give legal sanctity to recommendations made by the Land Committee .

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