Southern States - Andhra Pradesh   

`Padayatra takes Cong. closer to people'

By G.V. Prasada Sarma

MARRIPADU(Srikakulam dt), June 13. The Congress Legislature Party leader, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, is on the verge of completing his historic Prajaprasthanam padayatra across 11 districts of the State. The 68-day yatra is scheduled to conclude at Ichhapuram in Srikakulam district on June 15, after covering more than 1,470 km.

"The response in all districts, including Srikakulam, a TDP stronghold, is good. People want a Congress comeback. It's for us to encash it,'' he told The Hindu at Marripadu on Friday.

About the gains of the padayatra, he said the TDP had promised a big housing programme during the elections with construction of seven lakh units every year. But in the first year five lakh houses were constructed and then they forgot about it. The housing programme was the need of the hour and " we have been able to expose it.''

In the one crore sops announced recently, at least another five lakh had been planned. It took the total number to 10 lakh, much below the 35 lakhs the Government ought to have constructed in five years. Two things had been achieved -- the pressure to construct another five lakh units and establishing the gap between the promise made and the actual performance.

Another aspect which created a lot of discontent was the steep power tariff hike for agriculture and domestic consumers. It was also exposed and even if the incumbent Government wanted to rectify it, their policies would be a hurdle. Thus, the Government was handicapped. The third aspect was not issuing ration cards for the last seven years. "Now they have announced issue of the cards. Our contention is that all the eligible should be given ration cards and till then the struggle will continue. We have sufficiently exposed their misdeeds, pressured the Government and made it concede some of the points, if not all. Besides, I have come to know of the problems faced by weavers, shepherds, toddy tappers, fishermen and rural artisans, and low wages of farm labourers.''

On drawing a line between welfare and populism Dr. Reddy said: " Welfare measures are absolutely necessary and one can't brush them aside. But in these measures Government incentives should be production-oriented. If incentives increase production, they are welcome. Ultimately a line will have to be drawn. For instance, free power helps farmers produce more. Wherever possible, productivity levels should be increased when Government expenditure is involved. The Government help to the poor should help in creation of employment and permanent assets. Housing is a typical example. It creates employment as well as assets. On the other hand old-age pensions are also necessary. Society can't allow a poor or destitute man to die of starvation.''

Asked about the Government policies -- whether elitist and urban- oriented -- the CLP leader felt that they were not even urban- oriented, they were main-road oriented in the urban areas. Some sort of facelift to the main roads. Urban slums were totally neglected. Even Hyderabad city had umpteen slums without basic amenities like drains, drinking water and streetlighting. He said the Government's priorities should be fixed towards reducing rural indebtedness and poverty. For a Government with a budget of Rs. 42,000 crores, there was nothing big about spending a few hundred crores here or there.

Regarding power reforms, Dr. Reddy said the power sector was in the doldrums. Unbundling or bundling was no answer. There were two major reasons -- inefficiency and corruption. Unless they were tackiled the cost per unit would not come down. That was where the TDP Government had failed. In 1994, without steep tariffs the APSEB was in profits. In the last seven years, it had accumulated losses of Rs. 17,000 crores.

Asked about the sufferings of people he witnessed during the padayatra, the Leader of the Opposition said: "I have lots of feelings towards the poorer sections of people -- some sort of sentiment wherein you must strive and do everything to help, them out, compassion that comes from the bottom of the heart.''

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