The Hindu : Front Page : Credibility is the key issue, says YSR

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Thursday, Jun 11, 2009
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Credibility is the key issue, says YSR

Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD: Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy said it was the ‘credibility factor’ that made all the difference in the elections with the TDP losing people’s trust by consistently reneging on its promises and the Congress fulfilling all its assurances and going even beyond its manifesto.

Taking off from where Opposition Leader N. Chandrababu Naidu left on Tuesday when he advised Dr. Reddy to enhance his credibility, the Chief Minister said the TDP was trounced in the 2004 elections because it failed to fulfil its promises like supplying rice at Rs. 2 a kg and enforcing total prohibition. In contrast, the Congress Government was guided by the principles of ‘credibility, compassion and courage’.

Draws comparisons

In a three-hour reply to the debate on the Governor’s address in the Assembly and another one hour in the Council on Wednesday, Dr. Reddy wove his entire speech around the theme of credibility and drew comparisons between the TDP Government and his own.

The TDP flinched when it came to spending money for the poor and the farmers whereas his government’s policy was centred on their welfare. This was reflected in the implementation of the Rajiv Arogyasri programme, enhancement of old age pensions, the Rs. 2 a kg rice scheme and waiver of farmers’ loans. Dr. Reddy’s was essentially a political speech seeking to analyse reasons for the Grand Alliance’s defeat and the victory of the Congress, the scale of which was not satisfactory though.

Role reversal

The Chief Minister said Mr. Naidu reversed his liberal economic policy in 2009 and promised everything free – from rice to gas cylinders. But, this “all-free” policy cut no ice with the voters once again because Mr. Naidu’s credibility had eroded, so much so that his brother-in-law Balakrishna and nephew NTR Jr. publicly offered to stand guarantee for their implementation.

Extensively quoting official figures and press reports, Dr. Reddy contrasted the State’s financial position during the TDP regime and now, farmers’ suicides, the several-fold increase in the expenditure on irrigation, the 28 per cent rise in average annual foodgrain production (172 lakh tonnes) and highlighted how borrowings were used for unproductive expenditure by the TDP.

Touches on CTS

Responding to Mr. Naidu’s plea for implementing the TDP’s Cash Transfer Scheme (CTS), Dr. Reddy said rough calculations showed it would require an amount of Rs. 36,000 crore annually. Asking Mr. Naidu to suggest which of the welfare schemes he should scrap to fund the CTS, he advised him to furnish a paper on how the government could go about implementing it.

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