The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Congress groups clash in YSR presence

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Apr 12, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Congress groups clash in YSR presence

By Our Staff Reporter

VISAKHAPATNAM, APRIL 11. The former leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP), Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, had a taste of internecine trouble in his party right under his nose at a roadshow on Sunday.

The warring factions owing allegiance to the party's official nominee for Narsipatnam, P. Ramachandra, and the party rebel, B. Suryanarayana Raju (Suribabu), stopped his convoy at Tuni after an unsuccessful bid by Dr. Reddy to broker a deal between the two. After the talks failed, the rival groups raised slogans against each other and nearly exchanged blows. Dr. Reddy's fervent plea to bring normalcy failed to evoke any response. Later, Dr. Ramachandra alleged that he was not getting wholehearted support from certain Congress leaders during the campaign as he belonged to the Backward Classes.

"Having told everyone that my candidature has been cleared by the party high command, how can I withdraw from the race at this juncture,'' Mr. Raju asked. The Congress rank and file was in a state of confusion after the announcement of Dr. Ramachandra's name, under neutral quota, as the official nominee. The party later cleared the name of Mr. Raju due to pressure from the District Congress Committee (DCC). In the process, the high command issued B forms to both the candidates and the returning officer declared Dr. Ramachandra as the Congress candidate as he submitted the B form before Mr. Raju filed his nomination.

Though Mr. Raju had been claiming that he was the official candidate, although the hand symbol was not allotted to him, the party leadership on Saturday put at rest the confusion regarding its nominee by declaring Dr. Ramachandra as the official candidate.

Meanwhile, Dr. Reddy arrived at Tuni as part of his Jaitra Yatra and tried to pacify both the candidates but failed. Later, the supporters of Mr. Raju erected tents at Payakaraopeta and raised slogans against Dr. Ramachandra. When Dr. Reddy arrived, supporters of both the camps raised slogans against each other.

Dr. Reddy also had a taste of bickering in the party when the supporters of the official nominee for Payakaraopeta, Ambati Vijaya Rao, stopped his convoy between Nakkapali and Payakaraopeta. They alleged that the local party leader, Tota Nagesh, was trying to sabotage her winning chances and demanded disciplinary action against Mr. Nagesh for indulging in "anti-party activities.''

Later in a chat with reporters, Dr. Reddy said that in most places they had pacified the rebels. He said that even the film director, Dasari Narayana Rao, had agreed to take an active part in campaigning.

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