The Hindu : Clarify stand on `vital issues': Congress told

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 16, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Clarify stand on `vital issues': Congress told

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, MARCH 15. The Telugu Desam Party has asserted that the Congress has a "responsibility" to clarify to the people its stand on the "vital issues" of separate statehood for Telangana, free power supply to farmers, the extremist problem and its alliance with the Telangana Rashtra Samiti as they were linked to the future of the State.

Addressing a press conference here on Monday, the TDP MP and spokesperson, C.Ramachandraiah, said the claim of the Congress leader, K. Rosaiah, that there was no need for the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, to respond on those issues was "very strange".

Any political party in a democracy was accountable to the people.

He said the Congress was not a private outfit or a corporate body and the people had a right to know its stand on key issues.

Referring to the Congress stand that talks should be held with naxalites, he questioned why a dialogue was not initiated with the ultras in Congress-ruled States like Chattisgarh.

They imposed a ban when in power here and now want talks to be held.

Even on Telangana, the Congress had not spelt out its stand and the leaders in TRS itself were revolting against the alliance with the Congress over the issue.

The talk of first SRC and second SRC was meant to confuse the people, he added.

He refuted the charge of the former Nizamabad MP, G.Ganga Reddy, who resigned from the party, that the Government was "indifferent" to the Telangana region in the allocation of funds.

He said Mr.Reddy had left the party because his request for allotting the Dichpally Assembly seat was turned down and the other "reasons" cited by him for quitting the party were not genuine.

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

Andhra Pradesh