Karat insists on Polavaram design change
VIJAYAWADA: Reiterating his party's stand on Polavaram, CPM general secretary Prakash Karat made it clear that they will oppose the construction of the dam with its present design since it would displace thousands of people.
He also advised the governments of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to find an amicable solution to the disputes over sharing of the Krishna river water.
The CPM general secretary also asked the Modi government to caution the Obama government against 'spying' on the parties and organisations in our country as the sovereignty of the country would be under a threat by such acts and told the Centre to get a firm assurance that the US government would abstain from such acts in the future.
Participating in a Meet-the-Press programme conducted at the Press Club here, Prakash Karat alleged that the Centre was trying to dilute the welfare schemes like Mamatha Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
''Rajasthan chief minister has asked the Centre as to why the NREGA cannot be delivered as a scheme. If it is an Act, it's the right of the people to demand for it but if it is converted into a scheme then there will be no binding on the government. Hence, the BJP is trying to turn it into a scheme,'' he added.
To a question that the NREGA was affecting the agriculture sector and turning small and marginal farmers into mere labourers, he said that the argument was not correct and there were other reasons behind the poor growth in the agriculture sector.
News Posted: 5 July, 2014
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