Press Release
A CPI(M)-CPI delegation met the President of India today to appraise him of the developments in Andhra Pradesh leading to the brutal police firing in which two were killed and hundreds injured.
The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister had announced that he would appraise the President, amongst others, by showing them live video-footage of the demonstration in which he claimed that extremist elements had forced the police to open fire. This is a total fabrication of facts. Peaceful demonstrators were cordoned off and subjected to lathicharge, tear gassing, water cannon assault and attacks by mounted police and, finally, became victims of unprovoked firing.
Fully conscious of and upholding the federal principles of our Constitution which place law and order as a State subject, the delegation did not seek the intervention of the President of India. The delegation sought to appraise the President of India, of the true picture, in the face of a calculated propaganda of disinformation being unleashed by the AP Chief Minister. The delegation impressed upon the President that the very fact of the AP Chief Minister refusing to institute a judicial enquiry by a sitting AP High Court Judge into the incident, shows that he has much to hide.
The delegation consisted of E. Balanandan, R. Umanath, Sitaram Yechury (all CPI(M) Polit Bureau members), A.B. Bardhan (General Secretary, CPI) and D. Raja (Secretary, CPI).