The Hindu : Ex-Minister in Congress fold

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 14, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Ex-Minister in Congress fold

By Our Staff Reporter

NELLORE, FEB. 13. The Congress held a public rally at V.R.C. High School grounds on Friday evening to mark the joining of the former Housing Minister of the Telugu Desam, A. Prabhakara Reddy, into the party.

The All-India Congress Committee general secretary, Ghulam Nabi Azad, who welcomed Mr. Reddy into the party, remarked that there was no place for noble and honest persons in the TDP.

Mr. Prabhakara Reddy said his pleas for development of the district and his constituency were not taken seriously by the Chief Minister.

He said he was pained when cases were foisted on more than 2,000 farmers of the district in the name of electricity arrears and even at that time, the Chief Minister did not listen to him seriously. He claimed that in the Congress "there was freedom," which prompted him to join it.

Earlier, Mr. Azad held the Bharatiya Janata Party and the TDP responsible for the malicious propaganda against Rajiv Gandhi in the Bofors case. Mr. Azad had a dig at India Today survey which projected N. Chandrababu Naidu as the best Chief Minister and remarked that he was bound to lose as the magazine last year had projected the Congress's Ashok Gehlot of Rajasthan as the best Chief Minister who, however, was defeated.

The former Chief Minister, N. Janardhana Reddy, said he knew that Mr. Prabhakara Reddy would return to the Congress as his family was associated with the party for a long time. The former MLA, Anam Vivekananda Reddy, said it was an `unforgettable day' for the Congress with the entry of Mr. Prabhakara Reddy.

The former CLP leader, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, reiterated the party's stand to provide free power supply to farmers. The PCC chief, D. Srinivas, said it was a `festive day' for the party.

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Andhra Pradesh