People's Democracy

TWO DAY EXTENDED MEETING IN HYDERABAD

CPI(M) Chalks Out Action

Programmes on People's Issues

N S Arjun in Hyderabad

THE extended meeting of CPI(M) Andhra Pradesh state committee has chalked out a programme of struggles on pressing issues facing the people in the state. It has also called on the central government to immediately decide and clinch the political issue of keeping the state integrated or dividing it.

Addressing the media on the concluding day of the two day meeting on June 14, 2011, Raghavulu announced that the Party would conduct a 'Health week' programme during June 25-30 to bring pressure on the government to deal with the public health crisis in the state. With imminent arrival of monsoon, there are a spate of diseases like dysentery, chicken guinea etc set to strike people. Last year the government failed miserably in dealing with such diseases and many people died. Raghavulu said as per the information available to the Party, many of the PHCs in the state do not even have stock of Paracetamol tablets. Party activists will visit PHCs and hospitals in the state during the week, take stock of the situation and hold programmes to bring pressure on the government. They will also undertake work to clean the premises, clear the drains etc to highlight the need of the government to improve sanitation in order to prevent outbreak of diseases.

Similarly an 'Education week' would be observed during June 17-25 focussing on the issues plaguing the students as academic year has begun but there are still no textbooks or uniforms to distribute to the poor students. The facilities in hostels are also abysmal. The CPI(M) will focus on these issues during this week to force the government to act.

The extended meeting attended by district committee members of the Party also resolved to take up in a priority manner the issue of implementation of the Tenancy ordinance brought out by the state government under pressure of the recent CPI(M) agitation. Since a clause has been inserted that identity cards can be issued only with the consent of the landowner, its implementation would become tough, felt the CPI(M). It therefore urged the Party units to conduct a widespread campaign among tenants on the nitty gritty of the ordinance and ensure that it is implemented. 

In other resolutions, the extended meeting resolved to take up activity for bringing pressure on the government to form an effective Nodal Agency for overseeing the allotment and disbursal of special component funds for dalits and tribals. Widest possible unity would be aimed for in this struggle. It may be recalled that this was one of the key demands in the indefinite hunger strike undertaken by Raghavulu and three other CPI(M) state leaders in March this year. This demand has evoked good response from dalits and tribals in the state.

Another resolution was also passed in the extended meeting demanding implementation of G.O. No. 3 for the nearly 10.5 lakh contract employees in the state etc. Equal pay for equal work, mandatory facilities like PF, provision of pension etc are being demanded. The meeting also demanded scrapping of the nearly 50 odd merchant power plants sanctioned in the coastal areas. Apart from these, the call given by the Central Committee to conduct a solidarity campaign with Bengal comrades and a campaign against corruption would be implemented, said Raghavulu.

Answering a question, Raghavulu said that the political situation for Congress would not improve with mere change of faces for the posts like PCC president or the revived post of deputy chief minister. On the local body polls, he charged the Congress and its government of trying to postpone the polls in order not to face the electorate. The denial of information to the state election commission by the state government raises doubts about its sincerity in conducting the polls, he charged. Raghavulu demanded that the government must argue forcefully before the High Court for continuing the 60.5 reservations in local body polls as it was already in existence. Some persons have approached the High Court saying that this violates the Supreme Court order for limiting all reservations to below 50 per cent.

On the first day of the extended meeting, CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat explained the CC review on the recent assembly elections and answered questions from the floor. Later, the delegates conducted discussions group wise on the pressing issues facing the people and how to conduct the struggles. Discussions were held district committee wise also. Later, the outcome and summaries of the discussion were presented by the delegate speakers. CPI(M) central secretariat member V Srinivasa Rao made an intervention on the second day while Raghavulu made a two hour reply to the discussion.