The Communist Party of India State unit is in talks with the Telugu Desam Party to fight the local body elections jointly, according to party national secretary K. Narayana.
At a press conference here on Monday, Mr. Narayana took exception to the government bringing in an ordinance to ‘blackmail and arm-twist’ the opposition parties.
The CPI is in talks with other Left parties, including the CPI(M). It also began talks with the TDP, Mr. Narayana said. A clear picture would emerge by Tuesday, he added.
“It is a myth that this ordinance will stop money and liquor influence, but it will give a handle to the ruling party to summarily dismiss any elected representative they desire to tilt the scales,” the CPI leader said giving an example of YSRCP leaders distributing sarees in Tadipatri mandal of Anantapur district.
‘Psychological defeat’
“The YSRCP is afraid of holding the elections in 29 Amaravati villages as it will lose very badly,” he said and added that it was a psychological defeat for the ruling party. “Women from these villages will now campaign in all over the State to ensure defeat of the YSRCP,” he observed.
Threatening the Ministers and MLAs with dire consequences if the party loses local body elections in their constituencies was undemocratic, said Mr. Narayana.
