Southern States - Andhra Pradesh-Hyderabad   

Cong. seems scared to face polls, say two Ministers

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD Nov. 15. The Information and Public Relations Minister, S. Chandramohan Reddy, and the Small-Scale Industries Minister, B. Gopalakrishna Reddy, on Saturday expressed surprise at the Congress reaction to dissolution of the Assembly and said the party appeared scared to face elections, after having demanded them consistently.

Addressing a press conference, the Ministers said the Congress had never lost any opportunity in submitting memoranda to the Governor seeking dismissal of the Government and fresh elections but when the State Cabinet adopted a resolution for dissolution of the Assembly, it seemed to have developed cold feet. The fact that Congress leaders were planning to approach the court against early elections was further proof of their fears.

Defending the decision to go in for early elections, they reiterated that the intention was to seek a mandate, if not referendum, against the twin issues of extremism and separatism and the way the Opposition was placing obstacles in the path of progress. "We want to use people's vote as a weapon to strike at these tendencies and that is why we have sacrificed nine months of power". During the last two and a half years, over 2000 civilians were killed and Rs. 13 crores of public property was lost in the naxalite violence. Development programmes like opening of industries and laying of roads and bridges had come to a standstill.

They said far from discouraging separatist tendencies, the Congress was now speaking of forging alliance with the Telangana Rashtra Samithi and constituting three separate election committees for the three regions, forgetting the sacrifice made by its own leader, Potti Sriramulu.

They wondered why the Congress was questioning the right of the State Government to go in for snap poll, when it had opted for the same in 1971and 1984 for midterm Lok Sabha polls and when the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and the former Prime Minister, Margarat Thatcher, could do the same.

The Telugu Desam itself had gone in for early polls in 1985, so the latest move was not without a precedent.

The Ministers said there was no difference of opinion with BJP, over the latter's demand on one vote and two states made in the previous elections. The BJP has cast aside such demands and decided to stick to the common minimum programme of the National Democratic Alliance.

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