The Communist Party of India (Marxist) expressed disappointment over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s non-announcement of special category status for Andhra Pradesh at the Bhimavaram public meeting on Monday and not doing anything meaningful for the state after its division in 2014.
Participating in the party’s ‘Padyatra’ and ‘Jeep Yatra’ in Anantapur on Monday, Srinivasa Rao said the people of the state were disappointed with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as they were expecting a big announcement from him. “If the Prime Minister does not announce Special Category Status (SCS), the BJP cannot dream of winning even a single assembly seat in the state,” the CPI(M) leader said.
“We will start an agitation to get SCS because YSRCP and TDP are doing nothing in this direction despite their big promises to voters in 2014 and 2019 elections,” Srinivasa Rao said. He said that both the parties would be taught a lesson in the next elections if sufficient funds are not available for development in the state and they will also face the same fate as the BJP.
The CPI(M) leader questioned why the two major political parties in the state are silent when there is a serious financial crisis in the state. “Prime Minister Modi had promised special funds for backward areas, completion of Polavaram project and setting up of central institutions. Though nothing has happened so far, yet Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and Leader of Opposition N. Chandrababu Naidu never raised it,” he alleged.
Meanwhile, a group of 250 people from Eluru village of Garladinne mandal walked 40 km to Anantapur Collectorate to protest against the alleged encroachment of around 800 acres of forest land by influential people.
The party submitted a memorandum to the collector seeking input subsidy for groundnut farmers in 25 mandals of undivided Anantapur district as they had allegedly not received crop insurance compensation.