The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Naidu begins ``drought yatra'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, May 20, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Naidu begins ``drought yatra'

Staff Reporter

TRS men stage dharna; mild tension at several places

SIRCILLA: The Telugu Desam Party president and former Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, began his `drought yatra' from Nerella and Sircilla Assembly segments despite protest dharna staged by leaders and activists of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti, leading to mild tension at several places on Thursday.

He launched his yatra at Kollamaddi village in Nerella segment in the borders of the district and passed through Kothapalli, Lingannapeta, Gambhiraopeta, Gorantla, Yellareddypet, Venkatapur, Pedduru, Gollapalli, Sircilla, Baddenapalli Textile park, Sarampalli, Nerella, Jillela villages.

Braving scorching sun, he travelled in specially designed bullet-proof open-top vehicle under the surveillance of the `black cat' commandos of the National Security Guards (NSG) and the district police in this naxalite- affected villages.

He interacted with the villagers and inquired about their problems, including employment under the national food assurance scheme, pensions, power supply etc.

Reacting to the dharna staged by the TRS at all his meetings during the yatra, Mr. Naidu came down heavily on TRS leaders and termed the act as undemocratic. At Lingannapet village, he launched a scathing attack against the TRS president and Union Minister, K. Chandrashekhar Rao, for not visiting his own constituency people and solving their problems nor allowing him to visit and console people.

"Who has given them the right to stop my yatra?" he asked. "It is very humiliating. The people of the region have voted him (Mr. Chandrashekhar Rao) to power and he has neglected their plight and is camping in Delhi deceiving people of Telangana," he pointed out. He said Mr. Rao had also neglected people when he was in his Cabinet.

With regard to the drying up of the Upper Manair dam (UMD), he said that their Government had proposed lifting of Godavari waters from Yellampalli project to UMD to solve the upland region's problems. They had released Rs. 10 crores for taking up canal lining work of the UMD.

Labour migration

Flaying the State Government for not initiating any measures for the protection of the SRSP from the illegal constructions in neighbouring Maharashtra, he said that the Government had failed to take proper drought relief measures, forcing labourers to migrate in search of employment.

He also found fault with the Gvernment for non-implementation of national food assurance scheme in the district where over 307 farmers and weavers had committed suicide and 73 starvation deaths were reported.

Focussing mainly on the TRS, he said that party had deceived the people of the region promising implementation of GO 610 and providing employment to the youth.

He charged that the Mr. Chandrashekhar Rao and his son-in-law, Harish Rao, and six others had secured jobs by occupying Minister posts at the Centre and in the State.

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