The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : CM cautions people on free power promise

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 14, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

CM cautions people on free power promise

By Our Staff Reporter

SRIKAKULAM, APRIL 13. The Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, has warned the electorate to be wary of the free power promise of the Congress.

Expressing apprehension that the power supply system will be totally destroyed, he compared the Congress promise to the killing of the goose that laid golden eggs. "Free power means no power,'' he said at an election meeting at Tekkali in the district this afternoon. In Tekkali, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has fielded L.L. Naidu, replacing its member in the dissolved House, K. Revatipati, who is in the fray as an independent and has since been expelled.

Mr. Chandrababu Naidu arrived two-and-a-half hours behind schedule and spoke on the development during his tenure and that of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) under Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the naxalite problem, and criticised the Congress promises and its stand on the separate Telangana issue.

He said he was endeavouring to ensure quality power and farmers had been given a subsidy of Rs.20,000 crores and Rs. 10,000 crores was spent on improving the distribution network. Further effort would be made to give farm supply for nine-hours, he said.

The Chief Minister, whose election campaign followed that of the former Congress Legislature Party leader, Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy's visit yesterday, also assailed the Congress' assurance that it would put an end to suicides by farmers. He questioned the commitment stating that in Karnataka Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna's constituency alone, 28 farmers had committed suicide forcing him to change his constituency to Srinivasanagar and then to Bangalore city.

Mr. Chandrababu Naidu told the gathering that Dr. Revatipati was denied re-nomination since he had failed to mingle with people and there were small corruption charges againt him. For five years he had been respected and several works sought by him sanctioned. However, individuals did not matter but only the party and probity, he asserted and urged people to defeat Dr. Revatipati.

Mr. Chandrababu Naidu, whose voice turned hoarse, attributed it to his 40-day exercise for selection of candidates grappling with 14 surveys and candidates had been changed in more than 50 seats to ensure social justice, to accommodate women and minorities and to remove those with a bad reputation.

The former TDPP leader, K. Yerran Naidu, described Congress as one without a leader whereas the TDP and NDA projected Mr. Chandrababu Naidu and Mr. Vajpayee as the Chief Minister and the Prime Minister respectively. He reiterated the promise that the Bhavanapadu fishing harbour in the district would be taken as a challenge and completed. The Harischandrapuram nominee, K. Achhen Naidu, and Mr. L.L. Naidu spoke.

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