AP CM rebuffs Left, says no to land commission

In a rebuff to the Left parties agitating for land distribution, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy has firmly ruled out constitution of an independent commission as demanded by them, a decision that could escalate the stand-off with the estranged allies.

Reddy, however felt that Congress-Left relations have not reached a breaking point in the state in the face of intensifying land agitation by the Communist Party of India and the Communist Part of India-Marxist.

"It, (constitution of the commission) cannot be done. No commission can be independent of the assembly. In a democracy, government is answerable to the people through the assembly," said Reddy.

Exclusive: Andhra Pradesh CM on the blasts

When asked about the Left's insistence on an autonomous commission to oversee distribution of land to the poor, Reddy snapped, "Under what law?"

However, he disagreed that this may rupture Congress-Left ties.

"In politics, there is no such thing as a breaking point. On some issues, we may agree and on others we may come together. Only at the time of elections, the issue of coming together or otherwise will arise," he said.

While ruling out the constitution of an independent commission with quasi-judicial powers, the chief minister said a high-level committee headed by him was on the anvil. This committee will look into the entire gamut of land-related issues. The state revenue minister will meet the co-chairman of the panel, which will also have other senior officials.

But Reddy made it clear that there will be no room for 'outside experts' in the committee, which will periodically review the status of land distribution.

The structure of the proposed commission has become a bone of contention between the Congress government and Left parties, spearheading the Bhoopatram (land agitation) for the last three months.

While taking a firm stand on the land issue, Reddy struck a conciliatory note on continuing alliance with the Left parties, saying secularism was their common agenda.

"Even on this issue, our ideology is one and the same, though we have differences in our approach, the ultimate goal is to benefit the poor," he said.

Though the Congress and Left parties had fought the 2004 elections together, the CPI-M has since gravitated towards the main opposition Telugu Desam Party and the CPI has also stepped up its offensive against the government on a plethora of issues.

Telangana Rashtra Samithi, another pre-poll ally, has already walked out of the United Progressive Alliance.

Asked whether it would still be possible to revive the alliance before the 2009 polls, the chief minister said, "Let's see. We will cross the bridge as and when it comes."

Reddy claimed the party high command firmly stood by him in dealing with the demands raised by Left parties.

"We are all aware that they are supporting us at the Centre. We should be as flexible as possible and we are doing that in a number of ways. But how can we go against the constitution (on land commission)," he said.

On Telangana issue, he said there was no change in Congress stand favouring constitution of a second States Reorganisation Commission to go into the demands for smaller states.

Denying that the package for Telangana, sought by him recently, was aimed at neutralising TRS, Reddy said, "It is a question of our sincerity. As and when there is an opportunity, we are trying to leave no stone unturned to develop backward regions of the state."

In an unambiguous message to Maoists, he said laying down arms by them will be a pre-condition for revival of peace talks.

"We will invite them for talks provided they give up arms. Yes, it is a pre-condition this time," Reddy said.

In tune with its pre-poll promise, the Congress government had in October 2004 held the first-ever direct talks with Maoists but the dialogue process collapsed subsequently. The chief minister scoffed at speculation over pre-term polls, saying there is no such possibility if political parties think objectively.

"But one cannot really say. If elections come now the only reason could be the Left withdrawing support on Indo-US nuclear deal issue. There is no other tangible reason."

Asked about criticism that his government was soft on its ally Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen whose activists had attacked Bangladeshi novelist Taslima Nasreen in Hyderabad recently, Reddy said his administration will not shy away from taking action against MIM legislator Akbaruddin Owaisi.

"We are getting the matter legally examined. We will not shy away from booking a case (against Owaisi) if required," he said, denying that his government feared backlash from Muslims.

In the same breath, he said his government would have provided security for Taslima had she informed the authorities about her programme in the city.

With just 20 months left for the assembly elections, Reddy appears confident of overcoming anti-incumbency with the help of a string of development initiatives.

"My government's pro-people measures and the image of Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh will help overcome anti-incumbency," he claimed.

On the opposition allegation of large scale irregularities in the flagship irrigation mission programme, the chief minister said they could not prove even a single charge during the open debates that the government had organised at 42 project sites.

Claiming the irrigation and housing programmes of his government had no parallel in the country, he asked the opposition to tour various states for a comparative analysis. He expressed confidence that the Congress will come back to power on the strength of development initiatives whose fruits will have reached the masses by 2009.

"By the time we go to elections, an additional 80 lakh acre will have been covered by irrigation and 25 lakh farmers will have got free power," Reddy said.