Vijayawada: Left parties protest against hike in power bills

Vijayawada: Leaders of the Left parties staged a protest near MBVK Bhavan on Monday, demanding that the state government rollback the hiked power charges. They also opposed the reforms of the Union government in the power sector.

CPM State secretary P Madhu, K Swarupa Rani, P Murali Krishna and other leaders of CPI, CPI (ML) and MCPI staged the protest condemning the excess power bills served by the energy department.

The leaders alleged the State government was collecting excess charges from the consumers and demanded that the government stop collecting the bills. CPI State secretary K Ramakrishna who reached the MBVK Bhavan to participate in the protest, was arrested by the police and shifted to Governorpet police. The police decided to produce the CPI state leader in the court.

The CPM state secretariat member Chigurupati Baburao, CPI leader and former MLC Jalli Wilson were put under house arrest since Sunday night. The police served notices to the two leaders and asked them to stay at their homes.

The Left leaders strongly condemned the arrest of CPI State secretary K Ramakrishna. The CPM leaders, P Madhu and Chigurupati Baburao, the CPI leader Muppalla Nageswara Rao, Akkineni Vanaja and others strongly condemned the arrest of Ramakrishna and demanded that the government immediately release him.