Left parties stage protest against Shah's AP visit

VIJAYAWADA: The CPM, CPI, CPIML, MCPI(U), SUSCI(C), CPI New Democracy and the Revolutionary Socialist staged a protest at Lenin Centre in Vijayawada on Sunday opposing Union home minister Amit Shah’s visit to Andhra Pradesh. Leaders of the Left parties raised slogans against the BJP-led NDA government and the central minister's visit to the state.

CPI state secretary K. Ramakrishna said that the BJP-led Central government has been cheating the people of AP for the past nine years. He said that the central government has reneged on all assurances and promises which were given to AP such as special category status, a special package for backward districts, funds for the Polavaram project construction and the establishment of the Kadapa steel plant.

Ramakrishna said that the Central government has been doing injustice to the AP people by not implementing the promises; apart from that the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant which is the pride of the AP is also being sold by the government. He alleged that the country’s debts, which were just Rs 47 lakh crore in 2014, rose drastically to Rs 153 lakh crore now.

CPM state secretariat member Ch. BabuRao said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was exploiting the people by increasing the prices of essentials. He accused the Central government of doing extreme injustice to AP. He said that the people are rejecting the BJP and the Left parties are fighting on behalf of the people. The YSRC, TD and the Jana Sena are eager to work with the BJP and warned that the people would drive out these parties too.

CPI Vijayawada city secretary G. Koteswara Rao, CPM state leaders Donepudi Kasinath, CPI(ML) Liberation state leaders M. Ramakrishna, CPI NTR district secretary Ch. Koteswara Rao and other leaders were present.