Southern States - Andhra Pradesh   

Congress faces rout in State: Dattateya

By Our Special Correspondent

Rajahmundry Dec. 6. The Union Minister for Urban Development, Dandaru Dattatreya, on Saturday asserted that extremism hindered development and peace and appealed to people to reject it outright.

Addressing a well attended meeting of the party's programme "neeti kosam-bhoomi kosam'' of the Kadiam Assembly segment here this evening, Mr. Dattatreya criticised the Congress for "supporting'' extremists in the State. The Congress party's own leader, Rajiv Gandhi, was a victim of extremism, Mr. Dattatreya said and added "Congress leaders should be ashamed of extending support to extremism.''

Naxalites had been killing people and leaders, he said, adding that in a democracy killings had no place. Referring to the Congress statement that it would order an enquiry into encounter killings of extremists if voted back to power, Mr. Dattatreya observed: "Will the Congress order an enquiry into encounter killings during the regime of Jalagam Vengala Rao who had crushed the extremist movement in the State?''

It was the Congress which had banned the PW in the State, the Union Minister recalled. It was with the expectation of getting the support of extremists that the Congress "changed'' its stand, the Minister alleged.

He referred to the coming elections and appealed to people to vote for "peace and development.'' The Minister was confident that the recently concluded elections in the North in which the BJP had wrested three States from the Congress, would repeat in Andhra Pradesh and the Congress would be rejected lock, stock and barrel.

He expressed confidence that the BJP in East Godavari district would repeat its 1998 performance (The BJP won two of the three Lok Sabha seats in the district). Evidently impressed by the large turnout of women, the Minister reiterated the BJP's commitment for 33 per cent reservation to women and assured that the Bill concerned would again be introduced in the ongoing winter session.

The Kadiam Assembly segment in charge of the BJP, Vishnu Murthy, presided. The State unit secretary, Somu Veeraraju, the former MP, Venkataswamy Naidu, and the former MLA, Ayyaji Vema, participated.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Southern States

News: Front Page | National | Southern States | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary |

Stories in this Section

• Eight injured in police firing
• CBI arrests its officer on bribery charges
• FFW `irregularities': Minister taken aback
• People's War ready for `political battle'
• Congress faces rout in State: Dattateya
• Move for World Bank loan questioned
• Naxals blast TDP leader's house
• High drama marks arrest of CBI official
• Revolving funds for DWCRA groups urged
• Congress meet hints at subsidy raj

Copyright © 2003, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu