The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Where’s the development: Chiru

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Nov 17, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version


=

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Where’s the development: Chiru

B. Chandrashekhar

Reaching out: Praja Rajyam president Chiranjeevi greeting people during his yatra in Anantapur district on Sunday.

HINDUPUR: The third leg of Chiranjeeevi’s Praja Ankitha Yatra in Anantapur district on Sunday saw huge crowds according a rousing reception to the PR chief at his road shows and street-corner meetings. More than three-fourths of the turnout was youth and women. People came in large numbers even in small hamlets to cheer Chiranjeevi and his new political outfit.

There was a loud response from the crowds gathered to every word Chiranjeevi spoke against the government. . He succeeded in striking a chord with the masses immediately after setting off on his three-day tour in the district at Gorantla, a TDP bastion hitherto, when he compared the development boasted by the government with that of the failing groundnut crop in the district. “Like the lush green vegetative growth of groundnut on the surface the development being claimed by the government is also appearing good outside. But, at the same time the fruits of development have failed to reach a majority of the needy poor like pod-bearing of groundnut crop this season”, Chiranjeevi said . He alleged that government was snatching small land holdings from the small and marginal farmers in the name of SEZs only to hand them over to corporate and industrial sectors at throwaway prices, when the market rate was much higher than the procurement price.

When a small section of the people exhibited placards with slogans in support of SEZs at Kodikonda checkpost the PR president stressed the need for development of industries for improving the employment opportunities for the people of area concerned and not just indiscriminate snatching of lands.

The crowds ignored intermittent showers at several areas and waited for Chiranjeevi. His yatra passed through Chilamattur, Lepakashi and a number of villages before reaching Hindupur.

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

Andhra Pradesh