Gunning down of woodcutters: NPP seeks CBI probe

National People's Party today condemned the gunning down of 20 woodcutters in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday last and sought a CBI inquiry into the matter.
"The CBI inquiry should go into deep not only the smuggling of red sanders, but also those, who were hiring and taking the labourers from Tamil Nadu for felling of trees..." I B Pandey, National Secretary, NPP, told reporters here.
"The party condemns the incident and wants the Andhra Pradesh and central governments to complete the inquiry at the earliest, so that culprits are brought to book and punished," he said.
Pandey, who was here to attend a party function, said Tamil Nadu was facing problems from the neighbouring states of Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, especially on water issues like the Cauvery and Mekedatu and Mullaperiyar, which his party would strive to solve.

When asked about the party's strategy in these three states, in view of his blaming them for Tamil Nadu's problem, Pandey said, "We will discuss and attempt to solve the problems there. But not at the cost of Tamil Nadu."
On contesting Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu, he said NPP would definitely fight the elections but constituencies and seats will be decided later.

"AIADMK would be the natural choice for an alliance, since that party had supported the candidature of the party founder-president, P A Sangma, in the last Presidential elections," he said.
Asked about the prospects of a fledgling party like NPP, Pandey said the people had wanted a change and gave the mandate to BJP, discarding Congress.However,BJP was wiped out in Delhi elections, he said.

"So there is no question of age of the party, old or new, once people decided for a change any party can come to power," Pandey said.