Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada   

Vamsi sees straight contest with Lagadapati

VIJAYAWADA: Vallabhaneni Vamsi Mohan, TDP candidate for Vijayawada Lok Sabha seat, on Sunday said he would not try to emulate his political rivals in making ‘empty promises’ like transforming the city into a Venice or a Paris, but focus on the general welfare and improvement of living standards of people.

“I come from a family with Leftist background. My teacher parents were CPI (M) sympathisers. Perhaps it is because of this that I always have an urge to do social service and my work in Gannavaram constituency is known to all,” Mr. Vamsi Mohan said.

Addressing a Meet-the-Press programme organised by the Vijayawada Press Club, the TDP candidate said in a sarcastic tenor aimed at his Congress counterpart Lagadapati Rajagopal that he would not promise to bring a Taj Mahal or a Qutab Minar to the city. His aim was to meet people’s needs in the areas of education, health, drinking water supply and other basic requirements. He stressed upon the immediate need to improve the living conditions of people residing on canal bunds and hill slopes.

Mr. Vamsi Mohan described the election for Vijayawada Lok Sabha seat as a straight contest with Mr. Rajagopal, dismissing Praja Rajyam candidate Chanumolu Rajeev as inconsequential. He likened the PR nominee’s style of functioning as something akin to “absentee landlordism”.

Mr. Vamsi Mohan said he had no ancestral property and became richer over the years only because of the good appreciation of lands in the real estate boom. All these details were available with the Income Tax authorities. A part of this income was being used to implement some welfare programmes in Gannavaram Assembly constituency through a trust named after his mother Aruna, which conducted eye camps and provided scholarships to students.

He accused the Congress leaders of spreading misinformation about his property. There was no truth in the allegations that he got richer because of his association with the late Paritala Ravindra. If he had really taken away the property of Ravindra, his wife Suneeta would not have continued to support him and make a strong case for his candidature, he reasoned.

Mr. Vamsi Mohan said there was nothing wrong in party chief N. Chandrababu Naidu changing his views during the last five years about subsidies and welfare schemes. He merely smiled and did not reply to a question on how could the TDP have a truck with the CPI (M) that published booklets against Mr. Naidu.

The TDP candidate said resolving the problem of Budameru floods would not be difficult, while rehabilitation of canal bund dwellers could be done by taking them into confidence and through a dialogue.

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