Towing the line of the Communist Party of India (CPI), the CPI(Marxist) also extended its support to the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in the byelection to Munugode Assembly constituency.
The State secretary of CPI(M) Tammineni Veerabhadram told a media conference today (September 1) that the support to the TRS was distinct from that of the CPI as it was limited to the election alone. “The CPI(M) could not give unconditional support like the one by the CPI as it was not sure of the path the TRS would take in the future,” he said.
Mr. Veerabhadram said all mainstream parties had sought support of the Marxist party in the election as it had considerable base in the constituency. “The party took the views of its cadre and arrived at the decision.”
“It was decided that the CPI(M) support the TRS to defeat the BJP because the former’s following in the constituency was not enough to defeat the saffron party. The BJP was also misusing the Central investigating agencies for its political end. The BJP was trying to turn the next Assembly elections into a clash between the BJP and the TRS though it was going to be the Congress versus the TRS.”
The Congress too had strength in Munugode but it will be in the third position in the byelection. The Congress State president A. Revanth Reddy was working hard to improve the chances of the party. The party picked up speed in reaching out to masses after he took over.
Mr. Veerabhadram also said the BJP was the main rival of CPI(M) both at the Centre and State. Some people were supporting the BJP because of the undemocratic methods of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao which was a dangerous trend. But, the CPI(M) agreed with the call of Mr. Rao about unity of secular and democratic forces. His efforts to forge alliances of parties was practical after elections but not now.
“Mere extension of support to the TRS in the byelection did not mean that the CPI(M) will give up its struggles against the government. The party will negotiate with Mr. Rao to find solutions to people’s issues.”
The CPI(M) leader criticised the resignation of MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy from the Congress, which paved the way for the byelection.
