The Hindu : YSR's `Jaitra yatra' on `Vijayaratham' from April 2

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Mar 26, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

YSR's `Jaitra yatra' on `Vijayaratham' from April 2

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, MARCH 25 . The former Congress Legislature Party leader, Y.S. Rajashekar Reddy, has decided to hit the road again, this time in an improvised van, "Congress Vijaya Ratham", launching "Jaitra Yatra", a mass contact programme with people from Chevella in Ranga Reddy on April 2.

Dr. Reddy who checked the "ratham", having just about basic facilities, on Thursday said the focus of his campaign would be on three important aspects of the Congress manifesto -- free power to farm sector, crop loan at 3 per cent interest rate and construction of eight lakh houses every year and registering them in the names of women. This would be his second "yatra" within a year, after his highly successful walkathon of 1,500 km from April to June last year.

From Ranga Reddy district, he would move on to Medak, Nizamabad, Adilabad, Karimnagar, Warangal, Nalgonda and Mahububnagar and return to Hyderabad on April 9 tentatively. The "yatra" would recommence from Visakhapatnam on April 10 and then go on to Srikakulam and Vizianagaram covering most of the constituencies going to polls in the first phase. The remaining constituencies going to polls in phase two will be covered from April 14 and end on April 24 at Tirupathi.

Setting a rigorous and tight schedule from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., Dr. Reddy is expected to cover a distance of 250 km and meet one lakh people every day spread over several constituencies. He would address a series of roadside meetings standing atop the "ratham" along with candidates for Assembly and parliamentary constituencies and district committee presidents.

By the end of his "yatra" he would have covered 8,000 km all over the State. It would mean he would find time just for a day to campaign in his Pulivendula constituency in Cuddapah, after filing his nomination.

Dr. Reddy said that he preferred to rest for the night in a tent and have food cooked by the cadre accompanying him. Cultural teams would fan out and give performances in places to be visited by Dr. Reddy in advance.

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