CPI(M) State secretary B.V. Raghavulu has termed the UPA Government’s move to bifurcate the State sheer political expediency with an eye on Lok Sabha elections.
Addressing a meeting organised by the party at Ambedkar Bhavan here on Sunday evening, he said Congress was apprehensive of a wipeout in Andhra Pradesh and with the sole aim of making Rahul Gandhi Prime Minister plumped for division expecting electoral gains in Telangana.
Even the TDP formed on the basis of self-respect had approved the division, he said adding that CPI(M) was the only party committed to an integrated Andhra Pradesh in tune with its stand taken in movements way back in 1969 and 1971. YSRCP was taking a U-turn on the issue now, he pointed out.
Tracing the formation of linguistic states, he said Andhra Pradesh was the first to be carved out followed by Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab and Haryana.
The move to form small States was now a design to weaken the federal set-up as such states would not be in a position to resist any move by the Centre and the latter could dictate terms, Mr. Raghavulu said.
Even the World Bank and multi-national corporations preferred small States as manipulating them would be easy, he said.
The CPI(M) leader recalled that only united struggles effectively checked earlier attempts like Emergency which Indira Gandhi had to roll back in one and a half years, the aborted attempt to dethrone NTR and the imposition of Hindi on Tamil Nadu.
MLC from North Andhra graduates constituency M.V.S. Sarma, CPI-M State secretariat member Ch. Narsinga Rao, district and city secretaries respectively K. Lokanadham and B. Ganga Rao spoke.
