The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : YSR ridicules plea for gunmen to `criminals'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Sep 14, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

YSR ridicules plea for gunmen to `criminals'

By Our Staff Reporter

VISAKHAPATNAM, SEPT. 13. The Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, on Monday questioned the rationale behind the demand to provide security to politicians with criminal antecedents.

Replying to queries at a press conference here, Dr. Reddy wondered how security could be provided to people who deserved to be excommunicated for their actions.

Finding fault with the Telugu Desam Party for demanding security to a dozen of its leaders in faction-hit Anantapur district, he said: "All of them have criminal history. The TDP leadership should know that security should be provided only to the common man and others only in larger public interest.''

Attacks TDP

Hitting out at the TDP for indulging in "a smear campaign'' against the Congress Government, Dr. Reddy said despite being in power for almost 10 years, it did not pay any attention for getting clearance to pending irrigation projects. "The TDP president, N. Chandrababu Naidu, harped on Vision 2020 without demonstrating any vision on improving irrigation facility,'' he alleged.

``We don't have a vision for 20 years but our short-term vision meant for five years clearly amplifies our plan on executing Polavaram and other projects,'' he asserted.

The Chief Minister said: "I have already accorded administrative clearance to the Polavaram Left Canal Project. Mr. Naidu had ignored my advice to take up irrigation projects on a priority basis in 1996 when I was an MP from Cuddapah. My advice was very clear. I told him that you can create `charitra' (history) by completing pending irrigation projects, otherwise you will remain in history as a `charitraheena' (a person without character),'' he said and recalled how TDP men created a ruckus over the use of the word ``charitraheena.''

Dr. Reddy said that the TDP also indulged in a "dirty game'' by "instigating'' about three lakh people to take unauthorised power connection after the Congress Government introduced free power.

Power issue

So far there were 23.5 lakh authorised connections and extended the benefit to 14 lakh more by announcing a subsidy of Rs. 10 per single-bulb user.

The Government would sanction 50,000 connections a year which would include regularisation of unauthorised connections and reiterated that the Government was committed to fulfilling all its promises in the next five years.

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