''Hijacking'' land struggle not allowed: Left

Hyderabad, Aug 1 (UNI) Communist Party of India (CPI) National Council Member and MP S Sudhakar Reddy today said the Left would not allow the oppostion Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and other parties to ''hijack'' the land struggle, demanding land for the poor, which they had launched.

Addressing the press here, Mr Reddy said the CPI and CPI(M) would continue the land struggle and were willing to take ''outside'' support from any parties, but would not allow the TDP and other parties to ''hijack'' the land issue for political gains. The land struggle was the 'battle of the Left and not the TDP and other parties.

Stating that only the Left parties would be capable of continuing the land struggle for a cause, he said it would intensify the struggle till their demands were conceded by the government.

Alleging the government was responsible for the death of seven people in the police firing at Mudigonda on July 28, Mr Reddy demanded annoncement of compensation to 30 women injured in police lathicharge who were undergoing treatment in Khammam town, on the same day.

Replying to a query, he said ''it does not mean that the CPI has given clean chit to Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy as the party did not demand his resignation owning moral responsibility of the firing incident.'' Demanding the government scrap GO 1049, issued to implement 74 out of the 104 K Ranga Rao Land Committee recommendations, CPI State Secretary K Narayana said the GO would not serve the interest of the poor.

The CPI's main demand was to constitute an independent Land Commission to implement all the recommendations.

The CPI Central Committee would meet on August eight to discuss the land issue and prepare a future course of action in New Delhi.

UNI