The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : TDP seeks referendum

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Thursday, Mar 17, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

TDP seeks referendum

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, MARCH 16. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has dared the Congress Government to hold a referendum to decide whether the Hyderabad international airport should be named after the former Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, or the former Chief Minister, N. T. Rama Rao.

Stir plan

Speaking to reporters here on Wednesday, the TDP president, N. Chandrababu Naidu, announced that the party would launch an agitation against the insult meted out to Telugu pride by the Government. "The TDP will not sit quiet till the Government retains NTR's name," he observed.

Blaming the Centre and the State Governments for failing to respect the sentiments of locals, Mr. Naidu wanted the new airport to be named as Hyderabad International Greenfield Airport while retaining the names of international and domestic terminals after Rajiv Gandhi and Rama Rao respectively. He accused the Congress party of undermining the post of the Prime Minister and giving undue importance to Sonia Gandhi.

The BJP MLA, G. Kishan Reddy, said his party was opposed to the Centre's `unilateral' decision to name the new airport after Rajiv Gandhi. He said the NDA Government had taken a policy decision to name airports in respective States after local leaders. "When the Delhi airport is already named after Rajiv Gandhi, why is the same name is being given to Hyderabad airport," he questioned.

The CPI floor leader, Ch. Venkat Reddy, said an all-party meeting should have been convened to decide on the name.

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