AP CLP refutes Karat's allegation

Hyderabad, Jul 25 (UNI) The Andhra Pradesh Congress Legislature Party (CLP) today refuted the allegations of Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Prakash Karat that the UPA government had demoralised Parliament's democratic values during the trust vote on July 22.

Addressing a press conference here, All India Congress Committee (AICC) Secretary P Sudhakar Reddy alleged that the CPI(M) had lost credibility among the people by voting against the trust vote.

He said the CPI(M) had lost its ideology and was trying to forge an alliance with other parties with an intention to defeat the Congress as Mr Karat had already stated it.

Stating that the CPI(M) had more interest in the political power than the country's welfare and its development, he said the people had good faith in the Congress and it would win the next general elections with the support of the people.

Mr Reddy alleged that the CPI(M) had degraded the office of the Speaker by expelling Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee from the party.

''Once elected to the post, the Speaker is above party politics.

It is unfortunate that the CPI(M) has hastily acted against Mr Chatterjee, an eminent Parliamentarian, to serve their petty political interests,'' he added.

He demanded Party State Secretary B V Raghuvulu to reply to the allegations made by his own party leaders in a book 'Nippuku Chedalu,' (rust to the fire) regarding corrupt practices of CPI(M) leader from Khammam and MLA T Sitaram, and the support extended by Mr Raghavulu to his illegal deeds.

The Congress leader said several allegations had been made by party leaders from Khammam against Mr Sitaram and the party leadership in the state and it was the responsibility of the state party leadership to reply to the people.

Regarding TDP President N Chandrababu Naidu's comments on the Congress, he alleged that Mr Naidu had no work except to criticise the Congress as he had ''lost mental balance.'' He was in a desperate situation as several of his party workers and the leaders were leaving the party, he added.

The people in the state were vexed with the ''anti-people'' policies of the TDP during its previous nine-year rule and they would give a fitting reply in the next elections, he said.

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