The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Disturbing fact

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Tuesday, Sep 18, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Disturbing fact

It was a disturbing sight for many who witnessed young archer Mandava Rishitha launch her hunger strike against the authorities of the NTR University of Health Sciences and the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh against the fake certificate racket. But a more disturbing signal reached many a parent who turn up everyday at the stadiums along with their wards in the hope of seeing them as champions one day. There were many who murmured at the hunger strike camp how the fake certificate racket had killed a number of meritorious sportspersons. Interestingly, a senior Congress leader thundered that Vijayawada is the ‘nerve centre’ of fake certificate racket in Andhra Pradesh.

‘Surprise’ visit

The recent ‘surprise’ visit of Minister for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) M. Hanumantha Rao to some of the schools in the district where civil works were taken up under SSA to improve infrastructure facilities had, indeed, an element of ‘surprise’ in more than one way.

The headmistress of a mandal parishad primary school drew blank when the Minister entered a classroom and began enquiring with the children about their problems and the quality of food served to them as part of the mid-day-meal scheme. She apparently failed to identify the Minister. Sensing her confusion, a scribe accompanying the Minister’s convoy asked her if she knew who he was. Even as she struggled to get her act together, the ‘surprised’ scribe informed her that he was the Minister on a ‘surprise’ visit.

Change of attitude

A closed-door session with Municipal Commissioner Natarajan Gulzar seems to have enlightened the CPI (M) leaders in the city on the contentious property tax issue.

The Marxist leaders, who miss no opportunity to lash out at the Commissioner, have now decided to shift their focus towards the State Government.

The ‘change of attitude’ has come about with just one meeting that Mr. Gulzar had with them recently. CPI (M) city president R. Raghu now says that the Commissioner is only “an instrument” in the hands of the government. At a recent meeting, Mr. Raghu called upon the people to “teach a lesson to the government”, instead of pointing an accusing finger towards the Commissioner. A few among the audience murmured that Mr. Gulzar had succeeded in changing the “mindset” of the Marxists.

Turning the heat

It’s a usual practice for those in the Opposition to level allegations against leaders of the ruling party that they are resorting to blatant misuse of power for selfish purposes. But the Congress leaders in the city recently accused Nandigama MLA and TDP leader Devineni Umamaheswara Rao of “misusing his official position” to tarnish the ruling Congress’ image. Pradesh Congress Committee executive member Kolanukonda Shivaji submitted a memorandum to this effect to Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy during the latter’s visit to the district last week. Mr. Shivaji even sought an inquiry into the alleged ‘misuse of power’ and ‘blackmailing of officials’ by the TDP MLA.

This was one of the scores of representations that the local Congress leaders had made to the Chief Minister.

(J.R. Shridharan, P. Sujatha Varma, G.V.R. Subba Rao and G. Ravikiran)

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