The Hindu : Naidu lashes out at Opposition

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Apr 27, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

Naidu lashes out at Opposition

By Our Staff Reporter

PONGURIVARI KANDRIGA (NELLORE) APRIL 26. The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, had a dig at the Opposition for not extending its hand of friendship and co-operation to the Government in times of crisis like drought.

Addressing a press conference at Pongurivari Kandriga village, 70 km. from here, on Saturday, the Chief Minister, obviously keeping in view the Congress and the 'padayatra' being made by the CLP leader, Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, made an indirect reference to the utterances of the leaders to `revolt' against the Government and sought to know the justification for such unreasonable demands.

Mr. Naidu pointed out as to how the State was passing through worst phase of drought and accordingly there should be more awareness among people, besides moral support from opposition parties.

On the other hand, the attitude of the Opposition was not up to the mark, and the Chief Minister expressed the feeling that the existing problems should not be made more complex. Asked whether the TDP, too, will organise parallel 'padayatras' to tone down the Congress move, Mr. Naidu remarked that he had always been moving with people knowing their problems. ''What is the need of the hour is that all should unitedly fight against the confronting issues,' he said.

Asked about collapse of co-operative urban banks in the State and the resultant scare among depositors, the Chief Minister referred to the relaxed regulations by the RBI which led to a spree of such institutions. The Government, he claimed, had been taking the necessary measures to restore the health of such institutions and hinted that separate legislation would be brought to regulate the co-operative institutions.

In respect of Prudential Bank alone, nearly Rs. 35 crores had been collected, he said.

Mr. Naidu did not agree that the State was lagging behind in respect of industrial growth.

He referred to the world-wide slow down of the sector, and said that Andhra Pradesh, which once occupied the 23rd place in respect of industrialisation, now stood at the third place in the country.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Southern States

Stories in this Section

Naidu lashes out at Opposition

EAMCET held sans hitches

CM visits drought-hit areas in Nellore

YSR vows to put all PPAs under scrutiny

TDP flays YSR for `provoking' people