The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Rosaiah challenges TDP on weaver couple suicide

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Nov 28, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Rosaiah challenges TDP on weaver couple suicide

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, NOV. 27. The Finance Minister, K. Rosaiah, has sought to turn the tables against Telugu Desam leaders on their demand for his prosecution and resignation on the suicide by a weaver couple in the Chirala constituency.

Addressing a press conference here today, Mr. Rosaiah said he would resign or even subject himself to prosecution but on one condition: the TDP leaders must clarify whether they would also subject themselves to similar punishment for suicide by farmers and weavers that occurred during their regime.

Same yardstick

If the elected representatives were held responsible for suicide taking place in their constituencies, all TD legislators would have been behind the bars by now. By the same yardstick, the TDP chief, N. Chandrababu Naidu, would not have had any moral right to continue in power, he said.

Mr. Rosaiah said the TDP could move court against him. He would offer his reply in the court. He dubbed the TDP leaders' remarks "cheap.''

The Minister said TDP leaders were shedding "crocodile tears" for weavers after "systematically destroying'' their life support system. A cooperative spinning mill set up at Chirala under the guidance of Pandit Nehru which provided direct employment to over 1,000 weavers was closed by the TD Government in December 1988. He got it reopened in 1989 but it was closed again in 1995.

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