CPM demands Cong stand on Panel report

Communist Party Of India (Marxist) leader Julakanti Rangareddy on Tuesday demanded that the ruling Congress party makes its views on Srikrishna Panel Report clear before the January 6 all-party conclave in New Delhi.

Talking to media persons at the Secretariat on Tuesday, Mr Rangareddy criticised the government over the all-party meeting that is scheduled to be held under the aegis of Union Home Minister P Chidambaram in New Delhi on January 6 for eliciting the opinions of all the parties on the Srikrishna Panel Report.

The Congress government came under attack for not declaring its own stand on the report where as it insisted on gauging the opposition's estimation on the Report, the contents of which had not been released so far.

Mr Rangareddy was specifically critical of the ruling party's malafide intentions in keeping the report under wraps while imploring others to announce their views on the subject.

Inviting two members each from a political party - one from Andhra and another from Telangana region further exposed the double standards of the Congress party, he said.

Mr Rangareddy demanded that the Congress first make public its stand after releasing the Report of the commission. The idea to engage all the political parties' delegates in New Delhi under the pretext of a 'meeting' was nothing but an eyewash, he said.

Referring to the Almatti Dam level height which was permitted to be increased by the Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal, Mr Rangareddy expressed his apprehensions over the supply of water to AP agriculturists.

In the rainy season itself, there was problem as the Karnataka government chose to hoodwink AP by not releasing the agreed upon quota, he charged. Mr Rangareddy wondered that in the other seasons, what would be the fate of the farmers particularly after the dam level is raised.

Stating that AP was the loser on account of the Tribunal's recommendations, Mr Rangareddy observed that the state’s farmers were victimised at one stroke.

The CPM leader's poser came in the wake of TRS, BJP and possibly the TDP boycotting the all-party meeting.