Vijayawada: BJP betrayed people of AP on bifurcation vows says Sitaram Yechury

Vijayawada : CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury alleged that the BJP-led Central government betrayed the people of Andhra Pradesh on promises made to the state in the AP Reorganisation Act. He said the BJP government did nothing for the development of the state in the last 9.5 years and important projects like Polavaram also have not been completed and Kadapa steel plant was not built.

He addressed a huge public meeting titled ‘Praja Rakshana Bheri’ organised by the state CPM at the Makineni Basavapurnaiah stadium in Ajit Singh Nagar on Wednesday.

Thousands of party leaders and activists from across the state attended the meeting. Party state secretary V Srinivasa Rao presided over the public meeting, which was conducted in view of the ensuing elections in the state.

Sitaram Yechury said the Central government promised to construct a steel plant in Kadapa but failed to fulfil it he added that Left parties were continuing their struggle to protect the Vizag steel plant from privatisation.

He stressed upon the need to defeat the BJP in the ensuing general elections to protect the federalism and stop the harassment of Opposition parties in the form of CBI, ED and income tax raids.

He alleged that the BJP government is harassing the civil society organisations and the opposition parties by registering false cases. “Several people have been thrown behind bars in cases filed under draconian laws. Even charge sheets have not been filed for many years in these cases. The BJP government is misusing the powers and governors in some states are harassing the state governments and acting as the agents of the Central government,” he said.

Yechury alleged that Election Commission is also not taking action against Prime Minister Narendra Modi though he is violating the model code of conduct in the election campaign in five states where Assembly elections are underway.

CPM politburo member B V Raghavulu lamented that neither TDP nor YSRCP is opposing the anti-people’s policies of the BJP government at the Centre. He said TDP is blaming Chief Mininster YS Jagan Mohan Reddy for sending its president N Chandrababu Naidu to jail, but it is impossible for Jagan to do it without the tacit support of BJP government at the Centre.

CPM central committee members MA Gafoor, S Punyavati, state secretariat member Ch Baburao and others were present.

Thousands of party workers, leaders and folk artistes participated in the meeting. Before the public meeting, party workers took out a huge rally from BRTS road to the stadium in Ajit Singh Nagar. The entire route turned a sea of red with participants holding red flags of the party.