Southern States
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Andhra Pradesh
'Ban on PWG alone won't solve problem'
By Our Special Correspondent
HYDERABAD, DEC. 6. The Leader of the Opposition, Dr.Y.S.Rajasekhara Reddy, has said that the nationwide ban on the People's War Group (PWG) of naxalites alone would not help solve the extremist problem.
Talking to mediapersons, he said the Chief Minister, Mr.N.Chandrababu Naidu, had succeeded in getting the PWG banned under the Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance (POTO) but his Government continued to view the naxalite menance as purely a law and order problem.
Dr. Reddy said the recruitment to PWG ranks continued unabated and youth were being driven into the extremist fold as the unemployment problem had aggravated. There were not enough job opportunities to wean them away from the naxal influence, he said.
The CLP leader saw nothing wrong in the activities of the Telangana Congress Legislators Forum (TCLF) which was only carrying out the message of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) on the need for the second States' Reorganisation Committee. The rift between the PCC-I chief, Mr.M. Satyanarayana Rao, and the legislators arose because of a communication gap. The Telangana sentiment was getting strengthened as the major development areas, especially irrigation, were neglected in the region for the last six years.
The Leader of the Opposition said his party would raise the issue of induction of persons with "criminal and corrupt background" in the Cabinet in the coming session of the State Assembly which is likely to be held from December 18.
Power Purchase Agreements in general with particular reference to the censuring of the Government on the PPA with the BPL by the A.P. Electricity Regulatory Commission was another issue warranting a thorough discussion in the House, he said.
The Minimum Support Price to the farmers for their produce, irregularities in the Food for Work programme, breaches to major irrigation reservoirs like Velugodu and Alaganur, second phase of privatisation, attacks on SCs and STs and the dilution of the authorities of the local bodies are among the issues identified by the party for discussion in the House.
CPI(M) opposes ban
The State Committee of the CPI(M) has opposed the ban on the People's War Group under the Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance and said it exposed the State Government's double standard.
Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, Mr. B. V. Raghavulu, Secretary of the State CPI (M), said on one side the State Government appealed to the extremists to join the maintream and on the other recommended to the Centre to declare a ban. He alleged that the ban had been imposed at the behest of the Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu.
"We oppose both POTO and the ban on PWG", he said but clarified that it did not mean that the party supported the violent activities of the PWG.
He said the State Government's duality was discernible in other policies too. The Chief Minister talked about running the Government on commercial lines in the Collectors Conference and then launched a poverty eradication programme. How can both go together, he asked. In an industrialists' conference at Delhi, he spoke about bringing changes in labour laws allowing even women employees to work round the clock and at home talked about the welfare schemes for them.
Mr. Raghavulu said though he hailed the decision to retain the Urban Land Ceiling Act, the Government's decision to dispose of surplus land in auction, would only help the real estate developers. At a time when thousands of poor do not have shelter, it was wrong to sell away public land. Instead, the Government should distribute it to the poor and whatever is remaining should be converted into public parks and playgrounds.
These and other issues like privatisation of water supply, setting up of Water Regulatory Commission, increase in power tariff for the farm sector, ban on recruitment, controversy surrounding power purchase agreements, corruption in Food for work programme, failure in ensuring minimum support price to farmers, would be raised in the coming session of the Assembly. A memorandum would also be submitted to the Speaker, Mrs. K. Pratibha Bharathi, during the session. He also appealed to all MLAs to raise these issues in the House.
The Andhra Pradesh State Backward Classes Welfare Association president, Mr.R. Krishnaiah, also has opposed the ban on the People's War Group (PWG) of naxalites under the Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance (POTO).
In a statement, he described it as an anti-demcoratic act and the first instance of misuse of POTO. The ban would infringe on the democratic and human rights as PWG was not an anti-national organisation, he said. He urged the President of India to intervene and lift the ban on the naxalite outfit.
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