Date:12/02/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/02/12/stories/2008021253920400.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

TDP chief flays Governor’s speech

Special Correspondent

N. Chandrababu Naidu

HYDERABAD: Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly N. Chandrababu Naidu, on Monday said, Governor N. D. Tiwari’s address to the Legislature was “election- oriented, directionless and hollow”.

At a press conference, Mr. Naidu accused the Government of making the Governor utter falsehood about its performance and taking credit for schemes launched by previous TDP government.

He found it strange that Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy should “brief” the media about the Governor’s address, when everybody knew that the latter merely read out the contents approved by the Government.

Mr. Naidu lamented that there was no mention of issues like unprecedented levels of corruption and spiralling prices of essential commodities in the Governor’s address. For all the claims of being farmer- friendly, over 4,500 farmers had committed suicide so far. As there was no proper drinking water, 36 people suffered from kidney failure in Cheemakurthi (Prakasam district).

He justified making an issue of the humiliation to Congress leader G. Venkatswamy. After the ‘briefing’ on Monday, the TDP legislators staged a demonstration against the ill-treatment allegedly meted to the women MPTCs by police in Eluru. .