Left parties stage dharna in Vijayawada against true up charges

The Left parties, including the Communist Party of India (CPI) and Communist Party of India- Marxist (CPIM), staged a protest here on Tuesday opposing the true up charges proposed by the Discoms.

The Left leaders made it clear that they would not stop their fight until the increased electricity tariffs, under the guise of adjustment charges, were reduced.

Addressing the gathering, CPI Sate secretary K. Ramakrishna alleged that former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and present Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had surrendered to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and colluded with Adani, placing a burden on the people. Charges had already been increased to collect ₹6,072 crore, and that the electricity bills would reflect the increased rates starting from December. Another ₹11,820 crore burden was being planned, he alleged.

CPI(M) State secretary V. Srinivas Rao demanded that the government explain why smart meters were being installed without public consent. The present National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government was blaming the previous YSRCP government on true up charges and the hike in electricity charges. Whether the present government would honour all the decisions made by  the YSRCP government in the same manner which was going ahead with the true up charges? he asked and called for the withdrawal of the electricity tariff hike decision just as the previous government’s decisions regarding survey stones and passbooks were halted. 

CPI(ML) New Democracy State leader P. Prasad criticised the Central and State governments for placing burdens on the public instead of demanding funds and special status for Andhra Pradesh from the Central government. MCPI(U) State secretary Katam Nagabhushanam recalled that the Left parties protested when the Chandrababu Naidu government in combined AP raised electricity tariffs, during which an activist died in the Basheerbagh firing, and that they still hold memorials for him. He demanded that Mr. Naidu reflect on the past and reduce the electricity tariffs to prevent history from repeating itself. SUCI(C) state leader Sudheer criticized Chandrababu for splitting the electricity sector into three entities named Discoms to privatise it and called for the repeal of the Electricity Amendment Bill introduced by Modi in the name of smart meters.