CLP ridicules opposition's demand for CM's resignation

Hyderabad, Aug 1 (UNI) The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) today ridiculed the opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Left's demand for Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YSR Reddy's resignation and the allegations that the government owns the responsibility of the July 28 police firing at Mudigonda in Khammam district, in which seven pople were killed.

Addressing a press conference, government's Chief Whip N Kiran Kumar Reddy said as the government had condemned the incident and ordered a Judicial inquiry into it, besides suspending the police officials and providing compensation, there was ''no meaning'' in the opposition parties' demand for Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy's resignation.

He alleged that the Communist Party of India (Marxist) leaders, including General Secretary Prakash Karat, Polit bureau member Sitaram Yechuri and State President B V Raghavulu, were adopting ''double standards'' as they had not condemned the police firing at Nandigram in West Bengal in which 14 innocent people were killed.

Alleging that the CPI(M) Government had not given '' Even a single paise '' as compensation to next to kin of the deceased, Mr Reddy pointed out that these leaders did not demand the resignation of West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.

He took strong objection to TDP President N Chandrababu Naidu's remarks against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that he had assumed the post through a ''backdoor entry'' as he was not elected as a Lok Sabha MP.

He said Dr Singh has been serving the country for the last fifty years in various capacities and the people of entire country had faith in him and that Mr Naidu had no right to make comments on the Prime Minister when his entire political life was ''marked with corruption''.

Mr Reddy allged that Mr Naidu, who did not think about welfare of the poor and farmers during his nine-year rule, was talking about distribution of house sites and free power to the farmers only to ''mislead'' the people.

UNI