The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : TDP flays Congress celebration plan

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Monday, May 09, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

TDP flays Congress celebration plan

Special Correspondent

Government's silence on Karnataka's stand on various projects questioned

HYDERABAD: The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has ridiculed the Congress Government's decision to celebrate completion of one year in office as `rededication day' asking if it wanted to "rededicate itself to corruption in irrigation project tenders, farmers' suicide and political murders".

Addressing a press conference on Sunday, the senior TDP leader, N. Janardhan Reddy, alleged that the Government settled for the theme of `rededication' as it had no specific achievement to its credit so far. The year was a saga of failures and mal-administration.

He recalled that the Congress had opposed allotment of lands around Hyderabad for various projects but now Rahejas group was assigned huge extent of land in Madhapur. It did not favour golf course either but it sees virtues in the project now.

Changes were brought about in entertainment tax to benefit cinema theatres belonging to the important leaders of the ruling party, he alleged.

Hydel project

On the hydel project on Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme, Dr. Reddy said it was surprising that the Government had asked the Irrigation Secretary to write a letter to his counterpart in Karnataka after the Irrigation Minister's letter sent earlier did not produce any result.

The Government should show its sincerity by taking it up at the Chief Minister's level. It was a serious issue affecting an ayacut of 87,000 acres in a drought-hit district.

He also expressed surprise at the way the Government remained silent when the Karnataka Government took up the issue of Andhra Pradesh's irrigation projects on Krishna with the Central Government.

Penukonda bypoll

At a separate press conference, another senior TDP leader, S. Venugopala Chary, has charged two Ministers -- J. C. Diwakar Reddy and N. Raghuveera Reddy -- with threatening the TDP sarpanches and ZPTC members in Penukonda Assembly constituency to join the Congress. They were resorting to such tactics sensing the victory of the TDP candidate in the byelections to Penukonda constituency on June 2.

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