The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Contrasting tales of two villages x

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jun 01, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Contrasting tales of two villages x

B. Chandrashekhar

PENUKONDA: The native places of faction rivals Paritala Ravindra, who was murdered in January this year, and G. Suryanarayana Reddy, the main accused in the murder case, present contrasting tales to the visitors.

In fact, Venkatapuram in Ramagiri mandal and Maddelacheruvu in Kanaganapalli mandal, the native places of Ravi and Suri, explain the love and hate story of the two rival families. While Venkatapuram was a neglected habitation during the reign of Congress legislators of Penukonda, Maddelacheruvu was neglected during the Ravi era in politics.

"Ravi did not visit our village in any of the election campaigns or during his tenure as legislator even once since 1994'', says E. Venkateswar Reddy, a cousin of Suri in Maddelacheruvu.

But, the present TDP candidate, P. Sunita, who led the campaign for her husband in 2004, visited the village then and now amid tense moments.

Though the village has not drinking water problem, as it is connected to Satya Sai Water scheme, it is denied a motorable link road either towards Peruru or towards Tagarakunta.

A picture of neglect

Not only roads but the village has been a picture of neglect in the matter of education and health. With about 2,500 population it has neither a high school nor a health centre. After upper primary education the children go to Peruru or Vepakunta for high school, another villager explained.

Though the village has about 10 per cent TDP followers they too were neglected by their former legislator. "I have been with the TDP for nine years but my requests for sanction of a house fell on deaf ears'', says V. Obulappa. There were hardly any allocation of wage works too to the village.

In spite of the spiteful campaign between the two families there never had been any clash between the Congress and TDP men in the village. "Only outsiders create problems between us,'' says Venkateswar Reddy.

A majority of villagers rally around Suri family. They supported him when he contested as an independent in 1999 polls. They supported Bhanumati in 2004 and they would follow her word even now, in spite of the pain about her neglect for the ticket, the villagers said.

On the other hand, Venkatapuram provides a rosy picture with all cement-concrete internal roads, all pucca houses, a black-top link road and good drinking water facility.

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