Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh, in-charge of party affairs in Andhra Pradesh, on Wednesday arrived here on a two-day visit during which he is expected to make efforts to narrow down differences with Left parties over the distribution of land to the poor.

His visit assumes significance in light of the political furore over the police firing in Mudigonda that resulted in the death of seven Left party supporters.

Soon after his arrival, Singh drove to Lake View Guesthouse where he was closeted with Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, state Congress president K Kesava Rao and other senior leaders.

Relations between the state’s ruling Congress and the Left hit a new low with the CPI-M demanding the chief minister’s resignation for the police firing.

But Singh told reporters here: “We cannot remove chief ministers at the behest of communist parties.”

During his stay, Singh is likely to meet Left leaders and persuade them to agree to talks with the state Government on the land issue.

CPI and CPI(M) leaders had warned that they would intensify their ‘Bhooporatam’ (land struggle) if the Government failed to meet their charter of demands, including constitution of an independent commission to oversee the distribution of land to the poor.

However, the Congress rejected the idea of an autonomous commission, saying it would create legal problems and hamper the ongoing distribution of land to the poor.

The first round of talks between the Government and Left parties on implementing land reforms collapsed on July 27, a day before a state-wide shutdown called by the CPI and CPI(M). The police firing in Khammam district during the bandh triggered a political storm and evoked strong protests from the Left.

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