CPI(M) will work for an alternative political platform in Telangana, says John Wesley

CPI (M) State Secretary John Wesley at the Meet the Press programme organised by the Telangana Union of Working Journalists on Wednesday in Hyderabad.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

CPI (Marxist) State secretary John Wesley has said that efforts are underway to constitute an alternative political platform in Telangana with the Left parties, which are trying to emerge as an alternative in the State by taking up public movements.

The CPI (M) has decided to go it alone in the ensuing elections to local bodies, but the party would, however, forge cooperation with the other Left parties in the areas where they had strong presence. Steps would be launched to create political awareness among the people so that the scope for use of money power, liquor and other inducements was minimised.

Mr. John Wesley, who was recently appointed as the State secretary, participated in a meet the press organised by the Telangana Union of Working Journalists here on Wednesday. He described the budget introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Central government as “anti-people” as it was aimed at privatising health and education sectors. Allocation of just 4 per cent of the budget to the crucial sectors was an indication of how the Union government wanted to hand them over to the corporates.

“The government is biased towards the corporates and this can be seen from the fact that 27 per cent of the wealth is concentrated in just one per cent of the population as compared to 13 per cent wealth owned by over 50 per cent population,” he said. He lamented that people were faced with poverty, unemployment, rising prices of essentials and other problems due to the pro-corporate policies of the Centre. People in the rural areas were unable to secure work under the rural employment guarantee scheme exposing the inequities that increased since the BJP took over the reins.

He welcomed Telangana government’s decision to provide 42 per cent seats to backward classes in the ensuing local body polls and its stand on categorisation of the scheduled castes. However, the government should implement the assurances in line with the projected population in 2021.