CPI(M) announces second phase of 'Bhuporatam' from Aug 22

Vijayawada, Aug 16 (UNI) The Communist Party of India(Marxist) today announced that the second phase of 'Bhuporatam' (land struggle) would be held across Andhra Pradesh from August 22.

Talking to newspersons here, CPI(M) District Secretary, V Umamaheswara Rao said the party would hold the land struggle in 300 Centres in Krishna District by occupying about 15,000 acres of Government land.

Mr Rao said despite lakhs of poor people participating in the first phase of land struggle launched by the Left parties, the State Government was not redressing the problem of house sites to the landless poor. The Government should initiate an agreement with the people on the issue, he added.

He said the party's Central Committee had extended its support to the agitation.

The State Municipal Administration Minister Koneru Ranga Rao in his Independence Day address at Machilipatnam yesterday remained silent on the implementation of the Koneru Ranga Rao Committee recommendations by the State Government Mr Rao alleged that after the Mudigonda police firing, in which seven people were killed, the State Cabinet had taken a decision to allot 115 acres of land to two big companies in the State, leaving the poor and middle class people in the lurch.

He also alleged that the Y S Rajasekhara Reddy Government had so far distributed 1.25 lakh acres of land only to the influential people.

Mr Rao alleged that the CPI(M) had occupied 2.5 lakh acres of Government land in the State in the first phase of agitation and demanded the Government to solve the problem immediately, before it incurs the wrath of people on the issue.

He criticised Dr Reddy on his statement that the Government was constructing houses to the poor under the 'Indiramma' scheme, instead of providing house sites to them.

UNI