TDP asks YSR to quit politics

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, SEPT. 20. The Telugu Desam Party, on Wednesday, demanded that the Congress Legislature Party leader, Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, quit politics for the derogatory remarks made against the ruling party MLAs, allegedly comparing them to "pashuvulu" (animals).

Addressing a press conference, Mr. Lal Jan Basha, general secretary, and Mr. R. Chandrasekhar Reddy, party spokesman said when a person of the stature of the leader of the Opposition and a legislator himself does not know how to address and respect his colleagues, "he should not be in politics".

When presspersons pointed out that Dr. Reddy had used the word "pashubalam" (horsepower) and not "pashuvulu", they said even that amounted to comparing the MLAs to animals. They said Dr. Reddy always spoke in a provocative and contradictory manner.

Even while saying that his party was able to highlight public issues effectively in the Assembly, Dr. Reddy made the charge that the Government stifled the voice of the Opposition. He had also alleged that the TDP had hijacked the Assembly session with the help of the Speaker, Mrs. K. Pratibha Bharathi, whereas the fact was that the Congress was responsible for the maximum deviation of 25 hours and among the legislators, he had got the maximum opportunity, they said.

Mr. Basha and Mr. Chandrasekhar Reddy said it was wrong and undemocratic to attribute motives to a Speaker, especially a woman. It was also not true that the Government remained unresponsive to several issues raised by the Opposition. On the contrary, the Government responded to every issue.

On the issue of power tariff, there was a long debate and the Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu, offered to constitute a House Committee. When the Opposition raised doubts over World Bank loan, all documents were placed on the table of the House conceding their demand. Besides discussing the issues of floods and pest attack on groundnut crop in Anantapur, in the House, there were all-party meetings too. The House went on to adopt an unanimous resolution against some of the recommendations of the Eleventh Finance Commission. "No other Government has been so responsive", they added.

They denied that their party had any hand in dragging the panchayat elections to the court and said the office-bearers of the sarpanches association belonged to various political parties and not TDP alone.

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