Police action will not stop water charges stir: CPM

Vijayawada: The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) City Secretary Ch Babu Rao here on Thursday said that they would intensify the agitation against water charges.

Speaking to the media here, Mr. Babu Rao condemned the lathi charge against the CPM activists. He alleged that officials of the Corporation and Police Department brutally assaulted their activists when they were staging a protest in front of Municipal Corporation office against the water charges.

He said the State Government would not stop their agitations by using the police force. He asked the government what was wrong in expressing their protest in a peaceful way. He said that several CPI-CPM activists were injured in police lathi charge.

He alleged that officials of the local body had violated all the Constitutional rights. A He wondered how a special officer has initiated a water charges' decision even though there is a people's council in the Corporation. He came down heavily on the city legislators for maintaining silence over the issue and said that they were not bothering about the problems of the people.

The CPM leader also lamented that the legislators were not reacting at least on police action against the Left Party activists.A Babu Rao alleged that the city legislators were ignoring the problems of the people and were working only for protecting their self interests.A "The CPM leaders will not fear police assaults and cases. We will intensify the agitation till the water charges are withdrawn," he cautioned.