The Hindu : Front Page : Chief Minister causes flutter

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Saturday, Nov 17, 2007
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Chief Minister causes flutter

Special Correspondent

Tells Naidu “as long as I live, you will not come to power”

He seems to be daydreaming, says Naidu about YSR
‘Smacks of his egoistic and arrogant behaviour’

Photo: P. V. Sivakumar

Time for flight: Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy glances at his watch at a press conference in the Assembly on Friday.

HYDERABAD: Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy on Friday caused a flutter in the Assembly by declaring that “as long as I live, you will not come to power” while looking at the Leader of the Opposition N. Chandrababu Naidu.

His eyebrow raising comment came when the House wound up the discussion on the nodal agencies for the SCs and STs and was waiting for his reply. But Dr. Reddy got up to leave setting off strong protests from Opposition benches. He returned in a few minutes after applying medicine to his eyes that had to undergo surgery recently and said he would respond to the members’ queries briefly as he had to catch the flight to New Delhi to attend a Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting.

Even as the Opposition protests continued, he looked at Mr. Naidu and said: “The Congress Government has taken up so many welfare schemes that the people are with us. Floor leaders of parties privately heap praise on me for the excellent schemes being implemented now in the State. So as long as we live, you can’t think of coming to power”.

His statement triggered a sharp reaction from Mr. Naidu who complained to the Chair that the Chief Minister “is speaking in an irresponsible manner” and it was not proper on his part to use the phrase “till we live”. His party members too protested.

Members of the TDP and TRS later staged a dharna at the podium shouting "modify nodal agencies G.O.", stalling the proceedings, even as Speaker K. R. Suresh Reddy wanted to take up reply to the debate on MSP for paddy. As they remained unyielding despite repeated pleas, the Speaker adjourned the House for the day, more than an hour ahead of the schedule.

Congress leaders justified Dr. Reddy’s remark saying it was not much different from what Mr. Naidu used to say often during his tenure that he would continue for at least another 15 years, surpassing even Mr. Jyoti Basu in West Bengal, citing the schemes launched by him to make the State “Swarnandhra Pradesh”.

Misrule

Mr. Naidu later told press persons that Dr. Reddy’s comments were preposterous and smacked of his “egoistic and arrogant behaviour”. He seemed to be “daydreaming”. It was strange that he should make such comments when the people were fed up with his misrule and unprecedented corruption, he alleged.

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