The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Naidu turns rickshaw driver

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Friday, Jun 06, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Naidu turns rickshaw driver

G. Nagaraja

He interacts with slum dwellers at Taderu

BHIMAVARAM: The toiling rickshaw-drivers on Thursday saw a ‘comrade-in-arms’ in former Chief Minister and TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu.

For a change, Mr. Naidu took a break from his routine road show in his hi-tech chariot and peddled a rickshaw for a few metres at Veerammapark in the town. He peddled up to the statue of TDP founder N.T. Rama Rao and garlanded it.

In this connection, he had a tête-À-tête with rickshaw-pullers sitting by their side and gave them a patient hearing.

The pullers shared their cup of woes explaining the difficulties they were facing in feeding their families with the meagre incomes. They sought Mr. Naidu’s help in securing rickshaws free of cost as they were spending most of their earnings towards hire charges.

Mr. Naidu later interacted with slum dwellers in an SC colony with about 50 house-holds at Taderu where women complained that the authorities were planning to remove their huts for widening of the Bhimavaram-Taderu road. “If it happens, we will be displaced,” they said.

Mr. Naidu’s trip in the mid summer is proving to be quite gruelling due to the sweltering heat and sultry weather ever since he entered into West Godavari district three days ago. The TDP chief, who suffered a sun stroke recently, looked tired all along his whistle-stop tour in the district.

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