Andhra Pradesh : Left calls for rollback of RTC fares

Movement of buses came to a standstill across the State for quite some time on Monday as activists of the CPI (M) and the CPI picketed bus depots demanding immediate rollback in the recent hike of bus fares. Hundreds of Left party activists who gathered at the bus depots staged demonstrations in protest against the “steep hike” in bus fares announced by the AP State Road Transport Corporation. The agitated activists shouted slogans against the government and the RTC management, while tension prevailed in some areas when the police and the activists jostled with each other. Many of them were arrested.

All-party meet sought

CPI State secretary K. Narayana and CPI (M) MP P. Madhu led the protests by staging a demonstration in front of the Bus Bhavan, the RTC’s headquarters here. Addressing the gathering, Mr Narayana demanded that the government convene an all-party meeting to discuss measures to bring the ailing corporation out of the red. Expressing concern over the first of its kind 51 per cent hike in fares, he said the government could take steps to bring the corporation out of losses by checking the “illegal operations” by private operators that was causing a deep dent in RTC’s revenues.

Activists arrested

Mahabubnagar: Demanding the roll back of RTC bus fares activists of CPI and CPI (M) staged a dharna in front of bus station here on Monday.

Leaders of left parties including CPI district secretary E. Narasima and CPI (M) district secretary Kille Gopal addressing the gathering demanded the government to roll back the bus fares immediately. They also asked the government to take steps to reduce the prices of essential commodities.

Adilabad : The CPI and CPI(M) jointly staged a dharna in front of the RTC bus depot on Monday demanding roll back of the bus fare hike affected a few days back. About 200 activists raised slogans against the hike. They were taken into custody by the Two-Town police and were released later.

Nalgonda : Activists of CPI and CPI(M) district units picketed the RTC bus depot here on Monday. The protesters disrupted the movement of the buses from the depot to various destinations for sometime demanding immediate withdrawal of hike on bus charges. Speaking on the occasion, CPI district secretary Mallepalli Adi Reddy alleged that the government imposed a backbreaking burden on the common man by increasing the bus charges steeply, while the State was reeling under turmoil.

“It is ridiculous on the part of Chief Minister K. Rosaiah and Transport Minister S. Vijayarama Raju to feign ignorance about the move,” he deplored and demanded the government to roll back the hike in the bus charges forthwith.

CPI (M) district secretary Nandyala Narasimha Reddy, Munugode MLA U Yadagiri Rao of the CPI, and others spoke. CPI leader Ghulam Rasool and CPI(M) leader Syed Hasham besides, a host of senior leaders of left parties participated in the demonstration. Artistes of Praja Natya Mandali also staged a demonstration at the bus station in the town denouncing the bus fare hike and skyrocketing prices of essential commodities.

Sangareddy : Demanding to scale down the increased fare in RTC, workers of the CPI(M) held dharnas at the depots in Medak district on Monday. Addressing the party workers, CPI(M) district committee member K. Rajaiah said that the agitation would be continued till the charges were brought down. District committee members G. Jayaraj, M. Adivaiah, A Mainkyam and others participated in the agitation.

Vijayawada: Activists of the Left parties picketed the Pandit Nehru Bus Station to register their protest against the hike in RTC fares as part of a State-wide agitation programme, here on Monday. CPI and CPI(M) workers and leaders raised slogans demanding complete rollback. CPI city secretary and former MLA K. Subba Raju said there could be nothing worse than the RTC hiking the fares without consultations. CPI(M) district secretary V. Umamaheswara Rao, former MLA Sk. Nasar Vali, CPI corporators P. Durgabhavani, D.V. Ramana Babu, I. Appala Naidu, CPI(M) corporators Ch. Babu Rao, B. Sathi Babu, D. Kasinath, K. Ramu, K. Sridevi participated.

Vizhianagaram: CPI (M) district secretary M. Krishna Murty and CPI secretary P. Kameswara Rao, who led the protesters, said that the government instead of resolving the dispute over Statehood issue and soaring prices of essential commodities hiked the bus fares and burdened the poor and middle classes who depend most on RTC services. Following the rasta roko, vehicular traffic at the complex was paralysed for some time. Party leaders Reddy Sankara Rao, B. Suribabu and others participated.

(Courtesy : The Hindu)

Condemn Killings in West Bengal

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) strongly condemns the killing of four CPI(M) activists in Narayanpur under the Canning Police Station of South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.

In a dastardly incident anti-social and criminal elements of the Trinamul Congress launched a murderous assault on a peaceful and unarmed group of CPI(M) supporters who were returning after filing nomination papers for the elections to the managing committee of a local madrasa. CPI(M) activists Dinesh Haldar, Khairul Jamadar, Biswanath Gayen and Salim Jamadar were killed on the spot. The gruesome nature of the killings is revealed by the fact that two of them were killed after being fired with the revolver placed inside their mouths. Seven other CPI(M) activists were grievously injured in the attack and are in critical condition and are fighting for their lives.

This incident shows the extent of violence that is being unleashed against the CPI(M) and the Left in West Bengal while the Trinamul Congress and its leader Mamata Banerjee campaigns that there is no law and order in the state of West Bengal. The CPI(M) along with other Left parties had earlier presented a memorandum to the Prime Minister listing out the more than 150 CPI(M) leaders and activists who had been killed by the opposition since the Lok Sabha election results. Hardly a day passes in Junglemahal area especially in West Midnapur district when CPI(M) activists are not killed by Maoist marauders. In the rest of the state it is the Trinamul which carries on the campaign of violence.

Yesterday's incident is a major development in this continued spree of violence. The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) calls upon all peace loving people in West Bengal and elsewhere in the country to join in condemnation of these murders. The PB calls upon all its Party units to redouble their efforts in expressing solidarity with the struggle for defence of peace and democracy that the CPI(M) and the Left is conducting in such trying circumstances in West Bengal.

CPI(M) not against religion: Pinarayi Vijayan

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Communist Party of India (Marxist) State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan has said that nothing will happen to the CPI(M) on account of the former Member of Parliament K. S. Manoj’s resignation from the party.

Addressing a rally to mark the conclusion of the four-day State conference of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) here on Monday, Mr. Vijayan said the party was not against religious faith and that this was something that Mr. Manoj knew well when he had agreed to be the party candidate. His sudden revelation that the CPI(M) was against religious faith was incomprehensible. Once he got elected to Parliament, he had settled down in Delhi instead of being in his constituency and it was for him to explain what had happened after that.

The party had never insisted on his taking a membership in it and it was entirely on his own volition that he had done so. That being the case, his exit would not in any way prove to be a setback for the party. Nor would it result in the faithful getting alienated from the party, the CPI(M) leader said.

Touching upon the alleged assault on writer Paul Zacharia at Payyannur late Saturday evening, Mr. Vijayan said the writer would have observed greater restraint and taken the sensitivities of the local people into account when saying what he had said there. Mr. Zacharia had the freedom to hold his views and the CPI(M) fully respected his right to do so. The CPI(M) also held him in high esteem.

Nobody had raised any objection when he wrote an article in a magazine expressing his ‘peculiar’ views on an incident involving a Congress leader (Mr. Rajmohan Unnithan).

However, when he spoke at Payyannur, he also observed that Communist leaders of the past had indulged in sexual anarchy when they were underground. This was not to the liking of some in the audience and one of them had questioned him then and there itself. What Mr. Zacharia did was to take offence.

“Suppose somebody speaks against Christ before an audience full of those who believe in Christ, will they take kindly to such talk? Would an audience full of those having faith in Allah remain tolerant if somebody speaks against Allah,” the CPI(M) leader asked.

(Courtesy : Hindu)