Rajahmundry: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP All-India secretary and former Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya has alleged that ruling Congress party is going to spend Rs.30 crores for publicity material alone during panchayat polls.

Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, Mr. Dattatreya described the election as `monsoon election' stating that the Government had done every thing in a hurry keeping the monsoon in mind to ensure farmer's vote. He said that his party would complain to the Election Commission (EC) on violation of code by the Congress including heavy spending on campaign.

Plea to EC

Mr. Dattatreya urged the EC to intervene in conducting free and fair election and ban the publicity material, which was going to be dumped during panchayat polls. He asked the Congress to give an explanation to the people of the State as to how the party was spending such a huge amount and what were the sources.

He said that the State Government had failed to supply electoral list in advance to all political parties and the Government had announced reservations hurriedly without taking opposition parties into consideration. "These actions will lead to misuse of official machinery and violation of election guidelines," Mr. Dattatreya added.

Changing lanes

Coming down heavily on the CPI (M), the former Union Minister said that the CPI(M) was indulging in `political prostitution' by allying with the Telugu Desam Party.

"The CPI(M) described Chandrababu as Agent of the World Bank many times and bitterly criticised his policies and now for political opportunity, it was having a truck with the same TDP," he said. He wondered as to what change the CPI(M) had seen in the former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.

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