People's Democracy

Left Parties Call for AP Bandh on April 9

TEN Left parties in Andhra Pradesh have called for a statewide bandh on April 9 on power issue as part of the second phase of its ongoing movement against power tariif hike, favouring of private merchant power plants and demanding abolition of fuel surcharge amount. They appealed to opposition parties to support the bandh.

After four days of indefinite hunger strike by Left leaders, including CPI(M) Polit Bureau member B V Raghavulu (in the picture) and CPI state secretary K Narayana, the state government unleashed its police and disrupted the hunger strike camp on March 26 by arresting the leaders and forcibly shifting them to Gandhi Hospital. Statewide protests were held against this brutality.