The Hindu : Front Page : Bandh today: TDP extends support to Left parties

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Saturday, Jul 28, 2007
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Bandh today: TDP extends support to Left parties

Special Correspondent

Talks with State Government remain inconclusive

Photo: G. Krishnaswamy

MARATHON MEETING: Home Minister K. Jana Reddy, Transport Minister K. Lakshminarayana and Revenue Minister D. Prasada Rao having talks with Left leaders in Hyderabad on Friday.

HYDERABAD: The Left parties have decided to go ahead with their proposed State bandh on Saturday as their talks with the Government for resolving the ongoing indefinite fast by their leaders remained inconclusive on Friday night.

At the end of several rounds of talks, the two sides resolved to meet again on Saturday for a fresh attempt to solve outstanding issues.

The CPI (M) and CPI, however, asked their cadres to gear up for the bandh and appealed to other political parties that supported their demand for distribution of land and house sites to poor to participate in the bandh.

Making a common cause with Left parties, the Telugu Desam Party has also called for a bandh demanding a halt to the sale of Government land and its distribution to the poor. TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu said despite public protests, Government land was being disposed of indiscriminately.

He said the party had decided to come out with a land policy soon and a discussion paper on allotment of land to various sections and sectors. If it came to power, it would see that house sites were allotted to all the poor.

Representatives of the Left parties led by their floor leaders in the Assembly, Nomula Narsimhaiah (CPI-M) and Chada Venkat Reddy (CPI), held three rounds of talks with Ministers K. Jana Reddy (Home), D. Prasada Rao (Revenue) and Kanna Lakshminarayana (Transport), who in turn consulted Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy. The main hitch in arriving at a consensus was the land commission whose constitution was announced by the Chief Minister in the Assembly on Thursday.

While the Communist leaders insisted that the land commission be vested with quasi-judicial powers, the Government was averse to it on the ground that it would interfere with the working of several departments.

The Left parties are also demanding constitution of a separate Ministry to look into land-related affairs and constitution of an independent panel to oversee land distribution process.

‘Bhoo Poratam’

Also, there was no consensus on lands occupied with red flags as part of the ‘Bhoo Poratam’. The Left leaders wanted these occupations to be regularised. The Ministers, however, offered to verify the background of the occupants and provide houses to eligible ones.

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