The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : TDP in league with contractors: Congress

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 06, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

TDP in league with contractors: Congress

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, DEC. 5. The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) secretaries, E. Pratap Reddy, K. Surekha and S. Gangaram, on Sunday charged the TDP leadership with being hand in glove with the contractors' lobby. Otherwise, there was no reason why it should create hurdles in the way of "Maha Jalayagnam" planned by the Congress.

In a statement, the CLP office-bearers said the TDP had not only neglected the irrigation sector but also allowed misuse of Rs. 4, 000 crores in the name of programmes like "Neeru-Meeru." They alleged that for nine years, the TDP Government had worked only to benefit its leaders and cadres and it was an open secret that its leaders at all levels doubled up as contractors and amassed wealth.

Poser to Naidu

The TDP had lost power by antagonising farmers and hence was stridently opposing every move of the Congress Government that would benefit farmers, they said. Questioning the TDP claim that it was not opposed to the projects, they asked it to spell out reasons for not completing a single project in nine years of its rule.

The TDP president, N. Chandrababu Naidu, was accusing the Government of rigging the irrigation tenders process only to protect the interests of the contractors' lobby and not with any genuine concern for the people. Mr. Naidu was afraid of the political fallout of the Congress initiative and was hence attempting to stall the projects, they said.

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