Left parties to protest against power tariff hike on Aug 5
Vijayawada: The Communist Party of India (CPI) announced on Monday that the Left parties will organise statewide protests on August 5 to oppose the recent hike in electricity charges and the installation of smart meters across Andhra Pradesh. The demonstrations will be held under the banner of a united front of Left parties and civil society organisations, taking place in front of electricity offices in all 26 districts.
The agitation also aims at demanding the cancellation of power purchase agreements signed with the Adani Group by the Andhra Pradesh government.
During a virtual meeting with state and district-level leaders today, CPI State Secretary K. Ramakrishna called upon party cadres and affiliated organizations to mobilize on a large scale to ensure the protest serves as a powerful expression of public anger. “This is not just a protest—it is a fight to protect the common people from unjust tariffs and corporate favoritism,” he asserted.
The Zoom meeting, chaired by P. Harinath Reddy, was attended by senior CPI leaders including Muppalla Nageswara Rao (Assistant State Secretary), former MLC Jalli Wilson, Akkineni Vanaja, G. Eshwaraiah, P. Manohar Naidu, N. Lenin Babu, and G. Koteshwara Rao, among others.
Ramakrishna stated that the protests will demand the government immediately roll back electricity tariff hikes, cancel smart meter installations, and terminate the Adani-linked power agreements, which were originally signed under the YSRCP government. Ramakrishna further pointed out that none of the NDA alliance partners—TDP, BJP, or Jana Sena—have spoken out against the tariff hikes. He criticised both the previous YSRCP and the current TDP governments for allegedly favoring corporate entities like Adani and the Lulu Group at the cost of public welfare.
He also highlighted the reported failures of Lulu malls in countries like Singapore and Malaysia, questioning the rationale behind leasing valuable RTC land in Vijayawada to Lulu for 99 years.