Left parties launch 2nd phase of land struggle in Andhra
Hyderabad, Aug. 22 (PTI): Stepping up their offensive against the Congress government in Andhra Pradesh, the Left parties today launched the second phase of their protest demanding the distribution of land and housing sites to the poor.
Holding party flags, CPI and CPI(M) activists accompanied by local people occupied vacant government land at several places across the state to press their demands under the 'Bhooporatam' (land struggle) campaign.
The state secretaries of the CPI and CPI(M), S Narayana and B V Raghavulu, led their party activists who planted party flags and squatted on the government land.
Tension prevailed at Chnnaganjam village in Prakasam district, where Narayana, accompanied by a large number of people, encroached on government land and refused to leave the site despite efforts by police to clear the area.
Communist activists occupied lands at 12 places in the city, police said. The situation was under control and no untoward incident was reported, they said.
The first phase of Bhooporatam had turned violent during a Left-sponsored shutdown on July 28, leading to police firing at Mudigonda in Khammam district that left seven persons dead.
Among the main demands of the Left parties are constitution of an independent commission with quasi-judicial powers to oversee the distribution of land, regularisation of encroachments by the poor and an end to the transfer of assignment lands to private companies.
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