Andhra Pradesh

‘No decision on alliances yet’

Kakinada: CPI State secretary K. Narayana said his party was yet to take a final decision on forging alliances in the ensuing elections though it held parleys with some like-minded parties.

Reports that the CPI was inclined to strike an alliance with the Praja Rajyam Party in the wake of its national secretary A.B. Bardhan’s meeting with Chiranjeevi were baseless, he asserted.

Speaking to media persons here on Wednesday, Mr. Narayana said there was a lot of speculation on the CPI’s electoral strategy and the media was providing grist to the rumour mill by making their own interpretations. It was an open secret that the CPI was fighting against “anti-people policies” along with other parties, which too espoused the cause of the downtrodden but that did not mean that the CPI would embrace any party which extended the olive branch, he said. Mr. Narayana said he would give up his agitation against the Special Economic Zones and coastal industrial corridor if they were proved to be not detrimental to the livelihood of the weaker sections. For this, Minister for Ports M. Venkata Ramana could ask Congress MP V. Hanumantha Rao to visit the SEZ and coastal corridor to find out whether they were of any use to the common people.

“Though Mr. Hanumantha Rao is a Congress man, I believe in him. It will be a difficult task for any other person from the upper caste as their intentions may be doubted from the beginning,” Mr. Narayana observed.

“Those who can’t do politics play the caste card when they are driven to the wall,” Mr. Narayana said.

The CPI leader condemned the attack on PR leaders at Pulivendula on Tuesday and said that such acts of aggression did not have a place in democracy, wherein every political party had the right to profess its views.

Stringent action should be taken against those who attacked PRP leaders who were awaiting the arrival of Mr. Chiranjeevi, he said.

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