CPI(M) action against LS Speaker vindictive: Congress

Hyderabad, Jul 24 (UNI) All India Congress Committee(AICC) Secretary P Sudhakar Reddy today alleged that the Communist Party of India(Marxist) CPI(M) had, by expelling Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee from the party, degraded the office of the Speaker.

Talking to UNI here, he said 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.

Alleging that the Left parties were blindly opposing the Indo-US nuclear deal, he said people would give at an appropriate time a befitting reply to the opposition parties, including Leftists, TDP and the BJP. Even veteran Marxist leader Jyoti Basu had warned that the Communal BJP was more dangerous to the country, he added.

Mr Reddy said the Congress-led UPA would organise a nationwide campaign soon, highlighting the ''achievements'' of the Manmohan Singh Government and the benefits of the Indo-US nuke deal, which was necessary to augument nuclear power, as the country was facing acute power shortage.

UNI SM SY NS1910