Coal transport association election turns out a fight for dominance between Congress and CPI

Since the coal transport associations have a say in the issues related to coal transport from SCCL mines and involves collection of money from the tippers on different pretexts, both the parties were trying to gain upper hand in the association election.

Kothagudem: Singareni Tippers and Lorry Owners Welfare Association election turned out to be a fight for dominance for Congress and CPI in the district.

Since the coal transport associations have a say in the issues related to coal transport from SCCL mines and involves collection of money from the tippers on different pretexts, both the parties were trying to gain upper hand in the association election.

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The election was supposed to be held on November 20 and association members have made arrangements for holding the election. But police intervened and stopped the election following a member of the association, which was divided into two factions following differences in the association, complained to police that the election was held arbitrarily by the opponent faction.

BSP state general secretary Yerra Kamesh, an advocate and one of the supervisors of the election, has accused the local legislator of CPI and a leader of that party of preventing the election undemocratically by instigating members of a faction of the association.

He said the leaders of the association for the past eight months were asking the legislator to cooperate to conduct the election but he paid no attention towards their request. Then the association members approached Congress party Kothagudem Assembly constituency convenor JB Showry and with the consent of the district Congress president, ex-MLA Podem Veeraiah election arrangements were made, he said.

Obstructing the election being held transparently was illegal. The CPI leaders want to exploit the association for their self interests, Kamesh said, adding that as a lawyer he would settle the matter in the court. But the CPI leaders maintained that they have no role in stopping the election.

It was said that Veeraiah also expressed displeasure at the CPI legislator for meddling in the association affairs. A few Congress leaders also took the matter to the notice of Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka.