The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : APCC president ready to face probe

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Apr 11, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

APCC president ready to face probe

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, APRIL 10. Stung by the "pay-for-ticket" allegations by his own partymen, the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president, D. Srinivas, on Saturday said he was "open to any enquiry" even while dismissing them as "baseless."

Participating in the "Meet the press" programme organised by the Andhra Pradesh Union of Working Journalists (APUWJ), Mr. Srinivas, however, refused to comment on the former Union Minister, P. Shiv Shankar, and senior party leaders' demand for ordering a CBI enquiry into the issue. "There is no truth in the allegations. Let them prove their charges.''

He said he would not like to go into aspects of whether Mr. Shiv Shankar continued to be within the party or the differences that have cropped up among those who have addressed the press conference on Friday.

On the Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, making similar charges, he said he would not like to stoop to such "low level'' and repeat the allegations, as everybody knew with what interest Mr. Naidu gave party ticket to industrialists and contractors and maintained "close links" with big industries.

Asked how many seats the party expected to win, he said he was confident of the party bagging a majority on its own and winning around 200 along with alliance partners. Having returned the Telugu Desam in the last two elections, people were fed up and they wanted change now. "I could see the change on their faces. We had won 50 per cent when Mr. Naidu decided to dissolve the Assembly on flimsy reasons and the remaining 50 per cent now. The response from women is particularly encouraging.''

He admitted that the party could not do justice to some sections owing to alliance with the TRS and Left parties. Action had been initiated against the party's rebel candidates who continued to be in the fray. Some of them had been placed under suspension. As for TRS candidates continuing in the fray against the Left parties candidates, he admitted it as a "failure of the TRS" and appealed to that party leadership to make them retire from contest. "This is necessary to ensure that there is meaningful and effective alliance among the four parties."

On denial of Asifnagar ticket in Hyderabad to D. Nagender, he said the decision was taken at the highest level to field him from the Secunderabad Parliamentary constituency in view of his popularity in the city.

Mr. Srinivas said if his party came to power, it would solve the naxalite issue through "purposeful negotiations as we do not believe in bullet-for- bullet policy. The problem is partly because of the Government policies".

On the public debt and World Bank loans, he said from mere Rs. 12,000 crores in 1989, the loans had now gone up to Rs. 46,000 crores but nobody knew how it was spent. "No new irrigation project has come up. Nor was it used for asset creation. It only shows that the assistance was used for unproductive schemes and commission of 10 per cent snatched away.''

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