The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : APCC president rules out early elections

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Oct 05, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

APCC president rules out early elections

Expresses confidence on Congress returning to power on its own steam

D. Srinivas terms the move to form a “grand alliance” against the Congress as gossip
Denies that there are differences of opinion between him and the Chief Minister

HYDERABAD: Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president D. Srinivas has dismissed reports that the State would opt for early elections to the Assembly.

At the same time, he said that the Congress was not unduly worried about facing early elections. Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, Mr. Srinivas said the Congress was not in a hurry to go for elections as it had a good performance record. “If the Election Commission decides, the polls may be advanced by one month,” he added.

‘No wooing others’

Terming the move to form a “grand alliance” against the Congress as gossip, he said his party was in touch with some parties. Stating that the party was not averse to the idea of such an alliance, he asserted that the Congress would not go out of the way to woo other parties.

“If other parties want to sail with us because of long standing goodwill, they are welcome,” he said. He expressed confidence that the Congress was capable of returning to power on its own steam. He took a dig at some parties for forgetting their ideologies and forging alliances just for the sake of defeating the Congress.

He denied a suggestion that there were differences of opinion between him and Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy. “We have a very cordial working relationship for the last 15 years and there is no scope for any differences,” he added.

Poser to Naidu

On Telugu Desam Party president N. Chandrababu Naidu’s ongoing campaign against corruption, Mr. Srinivas wondered whether such a programme was to undermine the good work done by the Government in issuing more number of ration cards, distributing Arogyasri cards, providing rice at subsidised rates and extending loans to self help groups at three per cent interest. Admitting that the Government faced some problems due to price rise and shortage of fertilizer, he said the situation would ease by November-end.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh