ANDHRA PRADESH: CPI(M) Demands Pro-Active Steps to End Impasse

ANDHRA PRADESH

CPI(M) Demands Pro-Active

Steps to End Impasse

THE CPI(M) Andhra Pradesh state committee has strongly objected to the indifferent attitude of the central and state governments to the intensifying agitations in the state. It felt the chief minister and Group of Ministers are not taking initiative to solve the problems being raised by the striking government employees.

The two-day meeting of the state committee was held in Party state headquarters MB Bhavan on October 10-11, 2013. Addressing the media in the afternoon of the first day, Party state secretary B V Raghavulu lambasted the chief minister for sleeping on his job even as the common people were suffering due to agitations, bandhs, electricity employees strike etc. 

A resolution adopted by the state committee on the present situation demanded that the chief minister must immediately take initiative to arrange a meeting of the striking employee leaders with central government in order to resolve the impasse. It noted that the agitation for maintaining the integrated state of Andhra Pradesh that began after the July 30 resolution of Congress Working Committee proposing division of state has intensified with the approval of cabinet note on October 3. The entire Seemandhra region came to a standstill with two-day bandh call. With electricity employees also beginning an indefinite strike, power generation and distribution was seriously affected. There was a danger of collapse of entire Southern Grid. People suffered a lot with even hospitals impacted seriously due to this strike. The state committee resolution warned that if things continued in this manner, people’s lives and economic affairs of the state would suffer irrevocably.

The resolution also requested the central government to hold discussions with the political parties in the state either individually or jointly. It also called upon the political parties to eschew electoral opportunism that would only complicate the problems further. Instead they must clearly state their position before the people and the Group of Ministers formed by the central government. The CPI(M) also wanted the central government to announce a programme for holding consultations with those agitating on this issue and also with all organisations and individuals interested in expressing their opinions on this issue.  The resolution also demanded immediate alternative measures to overcome the dire situation arising out of the indefinite strike by electricity employees with water supply affected, hospitals facing crisis and borewell irrigation severely affected.

Raghavulu said the centre must move ahead on this issue only after holding these consultations. This problem can be solved only by this method, he felt. Taking a dig at TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu who is talking of ‘justice’, Raghavulu demanded that he must first make it clear to the people and central government as to what he concretely means by ‘justice’. Also YSRCP president Jaganmohan Reddy must make clear how the state would become a desert if it is divided, as he is claiming. Similarly BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu must also tell clearly what he means by ‘equal justice’ to Seemandhra people. Raghavulu lambasted these parties for trying to fool the people in their opportunist attempt to gain political mileage.  Replying to a question, he said the CPI(M) is totally opposed to imposition of President Rule in the state. No matter how volatile the situation is, as long as elected representatives are there, this option must not be exercised, he felt.

ANDHRA PRADESH: CPI(M) Runs Special Campaign in Khammam - T L Narsaiah

ANDHRA PRADESH: CPI(M) Runs Special Campaign in Khammam - T L Narsaiah

 

THE Khammam district committee of the CPI(M) has planned and prepared for a campaign in the district to meet all its party member candidates, auxiliary group members, unit secretaries and leaders of mass organisations, who have been working at the grassroots level, e.g. at the village level. In the district, about 14,000 party members have been organised in 1,300 branches. The campaign is named as “Nirmana Yatra.”

 

The campaign schedule in the district was spread over a period of two weeks, and included the roadmaps for 10 divisions. The jurisdiction of each division coincided to an assembly segment. Each campaign team comprised the division secretary, district secretariat members and district committee members. Every division was further divided into 10 to 15 zones, according to the concerned division’s geographical conditions.

 

In terms of the political condition and situation, the state is in a turmoil because of the green revolution and neo-liberal policies being imposed by the World Bank. Over the past four years, most of the political parties maintained double standards on the Telangana issue. Unfortunately, moreover, the opinions of the Left and democratic parties too were at variance. The CPI(M) adhered to the principle that linguistic states must not be bifurcated in the larger interest of the federal and secular system. The coastal and rayalaseema people have been agitating over the last ten weeks for maintenance of status-quo in the state.

 

The purposes of the CPI(M)’s special campaign were as below:

 

1) To identify and assess the merits and weaknesses of various functionaries and committees, which have been working at the grassroots (e.g. village) level, and to resolve whatever organisational issues come to notice or found lingering; to assess the impact of the state’s political scenario upon the masses.

 

2. To overcome this weakness that a good number of younger men from party families are not associating with the Left politics.

 

3. As the Election Commission of India issued the schedule for revision of electoral rolls for the 2014 general elections, to form the polling booth level committees, examine the eligible voters and get them enrolled and to get the bogus names deleted.

 

The process of the campaign was that all the selected unit secretaries and members met at the selected venue in the zone after the breakfast. The team leader addressed the gathering about the proposed agenda and explained the guidelines to be discussed in their unit meeting. For the purpose, a questionnaire had been prepared by the district committee.

 

Later the gathering split unit wise or village wise to discuss the agenda as per the guidelines. They assessed the advantages available and the conditions adverse to an expansion of party organisation and functioning of mass organisations in the concerned area. The aim was to evolve a plan of action and of allocation of cadre and division work about the problems of people as identified.

 

In concluding session, the unit secretary or a delegate member reported the details of their debate, the action plan and the suggestions to the party, if any. The concerned division secretary summed up the proceedings of the day.

 

After the completion of the day’s proceedings, there were group meetings or public meeting in the concerned zone in late evening hours where the team leaders talked on the policies of the central and state governments and their effect on the people.

 

The team leaders and members stay in night in the same village. Then in early hours they resumed the campaign as per schedule.

 

As a part of the special campaign, youth conventions were conducted in every zone, and these conventions also included conduct of sports and games, blood donation camps, and clean and green environment programmes. As a part of this campaign, the anniversary of Che Guevara’s martyrdom was observed on October 9 at several centres in the district. State unit leader Chandra Mohan and district level leader N Srinu also participated.

 

In the district, five assembly segments have been identified for concentration, in regard to the forthcoming 2014 general elections. In regard to all these assembly segments, plans have been chalked out to mobilise and activate the organised and unorganised sector workers and start the work of mass mobilisation and the activities of mass organisations.

 

In this connection, a meet of former SFI members was also organised. This special campaign concluded in the month of September.

 

The district unit of the party gained the following experiences during the campaign:

 

1. Local party units made a good response and opined that the party should have such campaigns at least thrice a year.

 

2. We identified the shortcomings of our committee members, initiated a course of action to overcome the problems through counselling and guidance as per the party norms.

 

3. A special network has been prepared with district committee members in coordination with local committee members to follow up the envisaged tasks of the Nirmana Yatra special campaign.

 

4. Spadework for the coming 2014 election campaign has already started.

 

The planning and review meeting of the district committee was guided by Central Committee member Tammineni Veerabhadram, district secretary P Sudershan Rao, state committee members K Ilaiah, B Ravi Kumar and Macha Venkateshwarlu. All the district committee members participated in the campaign from the beginning to the end.