Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

AICC endorses free power to ryots: YSR

By Our Staff Reporter

VIJAYAWADA April 8. The Congress is committed to providing free power to farmers as a production-oriented incentive in the State, CLP leader, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, has said.

Addressing party workers at the valedictory of the three-day political training camp held in Paritala village near here today, he said the issue of providing free power to upland farmers was discussed at the AICC meeting in New Delhi on April 4 and the committee supported it, he said.

Explaining in detail the problems of upland farmers, the CLP leader said compared to delta farmers the former were spending five times more for water. The upland farmers could be given up Rs. 300-crore subsidy and the same could be recovered in the form of increased production, he said.

The CLP leader said farmers in each State had their unique problems. The very fact the three out of every four farmers committing suicide in the country were from Andhra Pradesh showed that farmers here were in the grip of a crisis.

The actions of the State Government were compounding the problems of farmers. Power tariffs had been hiked without any rhyme or reason.

The Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, had been "managing the elections'' term after term using various allurements, money, liquor and other even baser things. Dr. Reddy said that Mr Naidu was prepared to go to any depth for victory in elections, "he believes totally in management.''

The Congress leader called on party workers to educate the public about "the foxy ways'' of Mr Naidu. Dozens of schemes announced during the election year were disappearing without a trace the year after the polls. The TDP government announced Rs. 200 crores for a scheme in the election year and did not announce a single rupee in the very next. Dr. Reddy calling the Chief Minister a "fascist,'' said that the Congress was poised to oust him from power.

Dr. Reddy said that the TDP Government had created a system in which party workers who were reaping huge profits were ready to do anything to have their party re-elected.

The CLP leader called on party leadership to put aside personal agendas and work with unity for the party. People fed with by the TDP rule were looking to Congress leaders to work with unity and be elected to the Assembly. He said the basic difference between the TDP and the Congress was the former was able to win votes with short-term allurements and the Congress with a history of 110 years was interested in long-term plans.

He stressed the importance of capturing DWCRA groups and lauded the effort of Jakkampudi Vijaya Lakshmi in Kadiyam of East Godavari district where the Congress had control over 1,000 groups.

Paladugu Venkata Rao urged the CLP leader to launch a padayatra and prepare a "jail bharo'' programme. He said the he could not just sit like a mute spectator.

He said party leaders should get into action and stop at nothing and be arrested if needed. "The confines of the jails would be less intolerable than the rule of Chandrababu Naidu,'' Mr Venkata Rao said.

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