VIJAYAWADA: Ten Left parties have announced a plan to stage a protest in Kurnool on October 15, ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit on October 16 to celebrate the success of GST reforms. The decision was taken at a meeting of the Left parties held at the CPI State office in Vijayawada on Tuesday. The meeting was chaired by CPM State secretary V Srinivasa Rao.
The meeting criticised the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre for holding nationwide events claiming GST reforms have benefited the public, despite negligible impact on the price reduction of essential commodities.
The parties highlighted that Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister himself acknowledged a revenue loss of Rs 8,000 crore due to GST 2.0, urging the Centre to compensate the State for this shortfall. They urged the Chief Minister to raise this issue with the Prime Minister.
The Left parties expressed concern over unfulfilled promises of Rayalaseema development, noting that projects like Kadapa steel plant have not progressed. They criticised the meagre allocation of funds for backward regions, and the lack of implementation of assurances given under the AP Reorganisation Act.
They accused the Centre of intensifying efforts to privatise Visakhapatnam Steel Plant. In this context, the parties appealed to the public to join the protest against the Prime Minister’s visit.
The parties extended support to the ongoing agitation in Jeelugumilli of Eluru district against the setting up of an ordnance depot. The meeting demanded that the State government withdraw its recent decision to increase working hours.