VIJAYAWADA: The Communist Party of India (CPI) has termed the Union budget as pro-corporate and unkind to the poor.
Criticising the Central government for its anti-people policies, CPI State secretary K Ramakrishna said that the NDA government has made decisions that benefit the corporate sector and completely neglected the poor people.
Addressing mediapersons here Sunday, he said “The budget has reduced the corporate tax from 30 per cent to 25 per cent, but hiked service tax from 12.36 to 14 per cent and the budget was intended to put additional burden on the people.”
The Left leader said Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has not only failed to get the special status to Andhra Pradesh and but also failed to ensure funds for the state development, leave alone funds for the capital construction. He said the promised funding for the Polavaram project was also not announced. Ramakrishna demanded the CM to withdraw his support to the NDA government and Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu should accept his failure and express open apology to the public regarding failure to get special category status to AP.
He also said that Jana Sena Party president Pawan Kalyan who had extended solidarity with the TDP-BJP regime in the State should persuade Prime Minister Narendra Modi to accord special status to AP. CPI State assistant secretary J V Satyanarayana Murthy, State executive committee members Ravvula Venkaiah, Jelli Willson and G Obulesu and others were present.