Dasari Srinivasa Rao Vijayawada

CPM state secretary V Srinivasa Rao criticised the state government for organising investment summits to attract investment and generate employment, alleging they have become corporate tourism programmes without delivering the promised jobs.

Addressing a press conference at Balotsav Bhavan in Vijayawada on Tuesday, he said that not even 10 per cent of the Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) signed since 2016 had materialised and less than two per cent of the promised jobs had been created.

He said successive partnership summits had promised nearly 50 lakh jobs, but most commitments remained on paper. In 2016, 328 MoUs worth Rs 4.67 lakh crore promised 10 lakh jobs, while 665 agreements worth Rs 10.54 lakh crore in 2017 promised 22.34 lakh jobs, he said. Similarly, 734 MoUs worth Rs 4.40 lakh crore were signed in 2018, promising 11 lakh jobs, he added.

Referring to the Reliance gas project in Konaseema, he said that despite a promise of one lakh jobs, only around 3,200 people had reportedly been employed. The Kia project, which promised 30,000 jobs, had provided employment to only around 12,000 people, he claimed.

He expressed concern over the closure of spinning mills, dairy units and sugar factories and demanded that the government organise labour conferences alongside investment summits to protect workers’ rights.

On environmental issues, he warned that increasing pollution in Visakhapatnam, coupled with proposed data centres and ethanol projects, could affect public health. He demanded an expert committee to examine their environmental impact.

Commenting on local body elections, he alleged that the State Election Commission had failed to ensure free and fair polling and accused the government of using police to suppress opposition parties. Despite alleged intimidation and attacks, the CPM had increased its vote share from 7.4% in 2021 to 8.2% in the latest elections, he said. He thanked voters, particularly those in agency areas, and called for continued unity among Left parties.

Terming Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s claim that the results reflected public support for his governance as self-deception, he alleged electoral irregularities and appealed to people to participate in the CPM-CPI protest on November 11.

He also demanded immediate enumeration of losses caused by cyclones Arnab and Murasu and compensation for affected farmers and tenant cultivators. He criticised the Chief Minister for raising the issue of scrapping Rs.500 notes instead of addressing rising prices.