Date:10/04/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/04/10/stories/2008041053190500.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Congress keeps poll promises, says Kanna

Staff Reporter

CHILAKALURIPET (Guntur District): The Rs. 2-a-kg rice scheme, the flagship programme of the State government, was launched amid fanfare at Thurpu Malapalli here on Wednesday.

Transport Minister Kanna Lakshminarayana, Rajiv Vidya Mission Minister Murugudu Hanumantha Rao, Minister for Ports Mopidevi Venkata Ramana Rao and local MLA Marri Rajasekhar symbolically distributed 20 kg rice bags to five beneficiaries at special counters at the public meeting.

District Collector B. Venkatesham, Joint Collector Kantilal Dande and District Civil Supplies Officer G. Sriram were present. A battery of Congress leaders too occupied the stage.

Addressing a well-attended meeting, which included many women, Mr. Lakshminarayana said that the Congress-led government had fulfilled all the poll promises during the last four years, including free power supply, waiver of electrical bills, construction of houses for the poor.

Re-introduction of the Rs. 2-a-kg rice scheme demonstrated the Chief Minister’s commitment for the welfare of women, he said.

Using the occasion to lash out at the Opposition TDP, the Minister said Chandrababu Naidu, who increased the price of subsidised rice from Rs. 2 to Rs. 3.50 citing financial burden in 1995, had no moral standing to question the commitment of the government.

He also lambasted the Communists for deserting the Congress and said that they thrived on poverty and were not able to digest the overall development.