The Hindu : AICC observer lambasts Naidu

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 23, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

AICC observer lambasts Naidu

By Our Staff Reporter

BAPATLA Dec. 22. The All India Congress Committee observer to Andhra Pradesh and president of the Pondicherry Pradesh Congress Committee, V. Narayana Swamy, has lambasted the Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, saying no politician in the country has made so many "false promises''.

Addressing the Guntur district convention of the National Students Union of India (NSUI), the student outfit of the Congress, here on Monday, Mr. Swamy alleged that Mr. Naidu was out to spend at least Rs 100 crores from the State exchequer for publicity on the eve of elections. Passing sarcastic remarks against the claims of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) Government about development, he said that a lot of development could be witnessed between the Begumpet Airport and Hi-Tech City in Hyderabad. Mr. Naidu had brought several important foreign dignitaries, including Bill Clinton, Bill Gates and Tony Blair, to Hyderabad. The development, being "bragged about'' by the Government, was concentrated in a part of Hyderabad, but at "whose expense,'' he asked.

Referring to the naxalism issue against which the TDP was seeking a popular mandate, the AICC observer said that naxalites had been there for decades and this problem was not exclusive to Andhra Pradesh. But, naxalism had grown beyond control in Andhra Pradesh during the last eight-and a half years than ever. He held the "wrong policies'' of the Chandrababu Naidu regime squarely responsible for this. Mr. Naidu, "who messed up the whole issue in the last two terms,'' was now asking the people to reelect him to take up development in the State. "This is nothing but a tacit admission that he could not develop the State in the last eight and a half years,'' he said.

The national president of the NSUI, Ashok Tanwar, called upon students to work for victory of the Congress in the coming elections. He said that many anti-student policies were being pursued by the TDP Government. He recalled the high fee structure in private and government professional colleges, including engineering and medicine.

The District Congress Committee president, Rayapati Srinivas, said that the NDA Government was resorting to "saffronisation'' of education in the country, while the TDP Government was commercialising education in the State. The poor man could not afford education in the State, he said. The former MP, S. Basavapunnaiah, the former MLAs, Ch. Govardhan Reddy, T. Venkaiah and L. Eswara Rao, the former NSUI national general secretary, Sk. Mastan Vali, the district NSUI president, R. Satyam Singh, and the former NSUI national joint secretary, P. Ramachandra Raju, spoke.

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