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HELPLESS VICTIMS: Tribal children gaze helplessly as their mother, suffering from malaria, lies on the verandah of their hut at Champaguda of Araku mandal of Visakhapatnam agency. Malaria is rampant in ten mandals of the agency (tribal) area of the district. - C.V. Subrahmanyam

Visakhapatnam , July 22

THE Telugu Desam Party president and former Chief Minister, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, on Friday accused the Government of being "grossly indifferent" to the plight of Girijans dying of diseases by the hundreds in the agency (tribal) area of Visakhapatnam district.

At a press meet here on Friday, he said, "The Congress is taking the innocent tribals for granted. It is playing with their lives. It is disgusting to see the Government's lax response to the situation. Is it not our responsibility to go to the aid of tribals? They call it a political drama and shamelessly assert that there are no deaths."

Mr Naidu said that the Telugu Desam Party was only showing human concern for the Girijans and not politicising the issue, as alleged by the Government.

Three ministers were making contradictory statements on the issue and only the Health Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, had admitted the incidence of fevers, he said.

He said drugs and medical staff were not sufficient on the one hand and on the other the Girijans were not being given rice under the drought scheme, which meant that they had to put in some work soon after recovery.

Mr Naidu said that the list of 1,200 persons who died of various diseases since February in 10 agency mandals would be released shortly.

"The list from Koyyuru mandal is being compiled. After that, we will release the report furnishing all the details," he said.

Claiming that during his rule the incidence of malaria in the agency areas had been curbed through proper preventive measures, he said that the "public health system in the State is critically ill.''

The TDP on its part was mobilising help to the tribals. During an interaction session here on Thursday with the voluntary agencies and others, Mr Naidu was promised Rs 5 lakh for helping the tribals. The voluntary agencies expressed willingness to take up relief work in 150 villages, he said.

Volkswagen issue: He said the Volkswagen issue had brought disgrace to the country and there was the danger of foreign investors avoiding the State, which was considered "the best destination for investment for nine years during the TDP rule."

"I tried very hard to bring Volkswagen to Vizag, but the Congress has messed it up," he said.

"The officials were scared of going to Germany to seek a clarification on the Vashist Wahan because of the threat of being prosecuted.

On the possibility of the formation of a third front at the national level, he said such a situation would arise only if there was a political vacuum.

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