The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : `People should not pay for Congress dissidence'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, May 25, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

`People should not pay for Congress dissidence'

By Our Special correspondent

HYDERABAD, MAY 24. The Telugu Desam, while taking a dig at the dissidence in the Congress over Cabinet formation, has said that it should not become a constraint in the developmental and welfare programmes of the Government.

Talking to reporters at NTR Bhavan, senior TDP leader, Ummareddy Venkateswarulu, observed that the entire time should not be frittered away in trying to cajole dissidents even while describing it as the "internal matter" of the Congress.

He described as "incorrect" the move of the Government to scrap Janmabhoomi as it provided a platform for redressing the grievances of people by ensuring that they did not make frequent trips to officials concerned. At the same time it made the bureaucrat accountable.

Claiming that Janmabhoomi was a movement, he urged the Government not to cause hardship to people and reduce the accountability of officials. He wanted a "rethinking" on the proposal to scrap it. He dismissed as propaganda the charge that the programme had eroded the powers of sarpanches. The nodal officers too were only facilitators and had no authority to sanction anything.

He said the coming Mahanadu being the first broad-based meeting after the elections would provide an opportunity to party functionaries for giving a detailed feedback. The candidates who contested the elections would be speaking on the first day and various functionaries from each constituency and district would give their assessment the next day following which the party would undertake an analysis. Among other issues, the conference would discuss the national political developments and the farmers' suicide in the State.

Earlier the TDP president, N. Chandrababu Naidu, held discussions with senior leaders on the arrangements for Mahanadu. The party has constituted eight committees to finalise the arrangements.

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