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TDP distributing money, liquor: Upendra

By Our Staff Reporter

VIJAYAWADA, APRIL 25. "Money and liquor are being distributed in a systematic manner by the Telugu Desam Party to influence voters,'' former Union Minister and Congress Election Observation Committee chairman, Parvathaneni Upendra, has alleged.

Addressing a press conference along with senior party leader, Dronamraju Satyanarayana, and the APCC general secretary, P. Sudhakar Reddy, on Sunday, Mr. Upendra alleged that the TDP deployed Ministers in districts to "oversee the distribution of money and liquor'' and said that a Minister, camping in a star hotel, handed over "crores of rupees to party candidates'' on Friday night.

"The money changed hands in the presence of the Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu,'' who campaigned in the district on the day and stayed overnight in the same hotel. Mr. Upendra wondered why the election observers were not taking note of these developments and initiating action. The same strategy was being used in all districts that were going to the polls in the second phase, he said. The TDP was trying to influence voters, because it got wind of the party candidate's poor performance in the first phase. He alleged that Mr. Naidu got information about the party candidates' performance from the Intelligence Department.

Mr. Satyanarayana alleged that the TDP was "abusing Government machinery and distributing money and liquor on a very large scale. The police force was being used as weapon against the Congress party.'' The Congress had been demanding the construction of the Polavaram project for over a decade. He asked why the TDP, who did not talk about the project, in its nine-and-a-half-year tenure, was suddenly showing so much interest in it, he said.

A senior party leader of the city, Uppuluri Mallikarjuna Sarma, condemned the statements and pamphlets allegedly being issued by an organisation claiming to represent the Brahmin community as a whole. He said the statements by the organisation was an insult to the community. Mr. Sudhakar Reddy alleged that police were not rounding up groups of anti-social and criminal elements as per statute. These gangs were targeting Congress leaders and activists who were campaigning in some districts.

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