PAYING HOMAGE: AICC president Sonia Gandhi paying tributes to Kotla Vijayabhaskar Reddy at Kisan Ghat in Kurnool on Wednesday. Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy is also with her. — Photo: U. Subramanyam

KURNOOL: AICC president Sonia Gandhi has declared open the Kotla Vijayabhaskar Reddy Memorial Park here on Wednesday.

Ms. Gandhi unveiled the former Chief Minister's statue and paid rich tributes, the occasion being his fifth death anniversary. She garlanded his portrait, lit a lamp and greeted with folded hands, Syamalamma, widow of Vijayabhaskar Reddy.

She praised Vijayabhaskar Reddy as the "distinguished son of Kurnool".

Draped in saffron-coloured sari with black border and with a prominently visible vermillion mark on her forehead, Ms. Gandhi greeted people at the public meeting held at STBC grounds. They responded with a wide applause.

Plight of farmers

In her speech she touched upon a number of subjects, including the plight of farmers in Andhra Pradesh, the response of the Congress Government to it, National Employment Guarantee scheme, massive irrigation projects and the Indiramma programme in the State.

"The Congress Government is striving hard but a lot more needs to be done to create an impact," she told the audience. Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, Union Minister S. Jaipal Reddy, AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh, Ministers M. Mareppa and K.Ramakrishna, MP Kotla Suryaprakasa Reddy and his wife and MLA Sujathamma were also on the daisalong with Mrs. Sonia Gandhi.

Tirupati Special Correspondent writes: Earlier, on arrival at Tirupati airport, Ms. Gandhi was accorded a traditional reception by the TTD. She was presented a `Melchaththu'-- the holy vasthram of Lord Venkateswara. TTD Trust Board Chairman B. Karunakar Reddy presented her the temple `prasadam' even as a priest applied `tilak' on her forehead. AICC general secretary Iqbal Singh and Union Ministers Jaipal Reddy and Panabaka Lakshmi, Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy and APCC president K. Kesava Rao were present.

As Sonia walked past the MP, MLAs and other senior party functionaries who lined up on the tarmac with bouquets and shawls, Rajasekhara Reddy introduced them to her.

Interestingly, the women MLAs and functionaries applied a `tilak' on her forehead before presenting her bouquets and the typical 'Congress kanduva'.

Accompanied by the Chief Minister and other leaders, she later took off to Kadapa.

Media detained

Mediapersons who used to be normally allowed upto the airport portico, were detained at the main entry point itself.

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