The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Naidu to hit the road next month

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Dec 23, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Naidu to hit the road next month

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, DEC. 22. The Telugu Desam Party president, N. Chandrababu Naidu, will hit the road in January spending two days in each district, to highlight corruption in irrigation tenders and anti-people policies of the Government besides galvanising the party cadre.

Though these issues came up for discussion during the first meeting of reconstituted Polit Bureau of the party, Mr. Naidu did not disclose his plan there. It was only later when the newly-appointed organising secretaries met him that he spoke of his travel plans, according to party sources. The exact dates of his tour would be finalised in the next few days.

His visit to districts will be preceded by a tour of senior leaders this month- end. He is believed to have told the Polit Bureau members that people were already vexed with the seven-month rule of the Congress and the party should capitalise on it by exposing the Government further.

Party polls

Apart from irrigation tenders and issues of public importance, the Polit Bureau discussed the organisational elections and enrolment of membership. Briefing presspersons about the meeting, senior party leaders Kadiam Srihari and Umareddy Venkateswarlu said it took a critical view of the Government's stand on the tenders issue.

Barring the Congress, all other parties had demanded that the files relating to the tenders be placed before the Assembly Speaker or conduct an all- party meeting. But the Government remained adamant though it claimed to be transparent and launched "a misinformation campaign" against the Telugu Desam. Other issues that came up for discussion were farmers' suicides, starvation deaths, drought conditions, dilution of free power supply to the farm sector and regularisation of unauthorised connections. To a question, they said there was no discussion on Telangana and naxalism.

They said a State election committee of the party would be formed in the next two days. It would prepare the schedule and monitor the process from village to the State. The membership enrolment would be from January 20 to February 5, to be followed by elections from village to the district level. The party president and other office-bearers would be elected at the party's Mahanadu on May 28 and 29.

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