CPI(M) against separate Telangana: Yechuri

By Our Staff Reporter

WYRA (KHAMMAM), May 25. The CPI(M) is against disturbing the existing federal set-up in which the states came into existence on linguistic pattern, according to the party Politburo member, Mr. Sitaram Yechuri.

He said here on Friday that going by the present demand, there was need for creating 60 more states and it might not be the end to it.

He said that the party could not extend support to the slogan for Telangana as the formation of a separate state would not provide any automatic guarantee for removal of backwardness anywhere. The removal of backwardness should be addressed by specific packages supported by allocation of the required funds.

He said that the party would fight for a special package for the backward areas. It had already demanded allocation of Rs. 5000 crores for the development of the Telangana region. The smaller states would have to depend upon the mercy of the Centre for all developmental activities.

The formation of many smaller states would lead to the problem of developing a centralised authority. In a multi-lingual and multi- cultural set-up, the creation of smaller states would have serious consequences. The smaller states would face the problem of the North. In view of these problems the CPI(M) had opposed the formation of Jarkhand and other new states created by BJP Government.

On the defeat of the LDF in Kerala, he said that the there was a drop of 2 per cent in the vote of the LDF and 1.6 per cent in the vote of the CPI(M). The CPI(M) Central Committee would meet on May 31 and it would review the results. He said that there was a transfer of vote from the BJP to the UDF. The UDF vote was up by about 6 per cent mainly because of the shift. Besides this, Kerala had the tradition of voting for alternative parties.

He said the victory of the party in West Bengal was historic and it gave a befitting reply to all those questioning the relevance of the Left. He said that People's Front was getting strengthened in the country. The future agenda of the front would be decided at a meeting of its leaders scheduled for May 29."We are planning for rallies in different state capitals and a decision will be taken soon."

He said the countries with a deficit in balance of payments need not reduce the subsidies and lift the quantitative restrictions. India should invoke the clause under the agreement with the WTO and safeguard its interests. In the meantime, the Government could increase the customs duties. On certain items it could raise the duties by as much as 300 per cent. Despite all his rhetoric, the TDP chief, Mr. Chandrababu Naidu, did not support the demand for raising the duties.

He said the Government should scrap the power purchase agreement and the Centre's guarantee on the Enron power project as it had threatened to quit. The country would not be able to pay the charges. What the CPI(M) had warned in 1996 had happened today in the case of Enron.

Mr. Yechuri was here to address the party cadres at a political camp.

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Section  : Southern States
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