The Hindu : State's performance does not call for celebration, says YSR

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 22, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

State's performance does not call for celebration, says YSR

By Our Staff Reporter

NELLORE, FEB. 21. The former Congress Legislature Party leader, Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, has asked the State Government to explain the reasons why it is planning the `Vijayabheri' celebration on Sunday at Hyderabad, allegedly at a great expense and utilising both Governmental and party machinery.

Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, he said generally only Governments and political parties with some real success behind them to boast of would indulge in such celebrations. But the National Democratic Alliance and Telugu Desam Party Governments at the Centre and in the State respectively, which he charged were guilty of gross under-performance, were spending thousands of crores of rupees to hoodwink people, by celebrating `Vijayabheri' and advertising on issues like `India Shining', strangely taking credit for all that had been achieved by earlier governments.

Regarding `Vijayabheri', Dr. Rajasekhara Reddy wanted to know why such celebrations were taking place, especially when there were lower rates of economic growth, reduction in respect of Human Development Index, increasing number of suicide by farmers and artisans and growing unemployment.

He reminded the Government that no new industrial units had come up in the State despite so-called economic promotion and a number of foreign trips by the Chief Minister.

The former CLP leader expressed concern that the average annual growth in the State during the last eight years stood at 5 per cent, compared to the national average of 6.8 per cent. Incidentally, the State had the dubious distinction of occupying number one position in cases of trafficking in women/girl children and incidence of AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases. Asked whether he was optimistic about the talks between the Telangana Rashtra Samiti and the Congress, Dr. Reddy said it would be known within the next three days.

About the impact of Mysoora Reddy joining the TDP, he said time would decide it. Regarding the charge of the Chief Minister that the Congress was having a nexus with naxalites, he dared the Government to book cases under TADA or some other act if he really knew about such an understanding.

The former MLA of Nellore, Anam Vivekananda Reddy, and the State Youth Congress president, T. Venkata Rao, were present.

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