Andhra Pradesh

Congress asked to clarify stand on ticklish issues

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, FEB. 03. Contending that the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and the Congress have reached an understanding on seat-sharing despite their claim to the contrary, the BJP has asked the Congress to clarify its stand with regard to the TRS suggestion for raising Almatti dam height and the proposal for inter-basin transfer of 100 tmcft of Godavari waters to Rayalaseema.

Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, the State BJP's spokespersons, S.V. Seshagiri Rao and K. Laxman, maintained that the TRS and the Congress `unconditionally' entered into an agreement on seat-sharing, but were speaking in different voices with a view to misleading people. They said the TRS was adopting a diametrically opposite stand on the river waters issue and was opposing the proposal for inter-basin transfer of Godavari waters to the drought-hit Rayalaseema region.

Similarly, the TRS was also objecting to the Pulichintala project which envisages providing water to the Krishna delta as also Mahbubnagar district while endorsing an increase in the height of Almatti dam to 526 metres. They wanted the Congress to clarify its stand on all these `important issues' in view of the `understanding' reached by the two parties.

The BJP leaders also took exception to the recent remarks made by the TRS president, K. Chandrashekhara Rao, that the BJP president, M. Venkaiah Naidu, the CPI(M) leader, B.V. Raghavulu, and the Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, belonged to the `same social group.' This kind of personalised attacks were not good for the health of politics and would lower its image.

Replying to queries, they maintained that the demand for separate Telangana was not an `issue' in the coming elections.

Ridiculing the `bus yatra' launched by the Congress, they said that recent developments in Rayalaseema had revealed `the unity' in that party.

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