CPI to meet Sonia; demand for nominated member

Puducherry, Mar 31: Taking great exception to the continued ''reluctance'' on the part of the Congress Government here to grant a post of nominated member to the CPI in the Assembly as per the pre-poll agreement between the Congress, CPI and PMK, the party said it would once again approach AICC President Sonia Gandhi to get ''justice.'' In a resolution adopted at the executive committee meeting here yesterday, the party alleged that the Congress was deliberately delaying the appointment for the past ten months and no steps were taken even after Ms Gandhi gave approval on March 26.

The inner-party struggle in the Congress and the expectations that the government could be stable with the support of the Independent members are the reasons for the ''reluctance'', CPI state secretary Na Ra Kalainathan charged in a statement today.

Another resolution urged the administration to drop the port development project till the government cleared the ''apprehensions'' of the people about their livelihood, saline water intrusion and sea erosion and also drop the cases against those who protested against the project.

Yet another resolution urged the administration to set up a coordination committee to take immediate decisions pertaining to problems faced by the people and if the government failed, the parties supporting the Congress Government, including the CPI, would not be responsible for any problems arising out of agitations following implementation of schemes objected by the people.

UNI