Andhra Pradesh

An inconvenient truth?

MP Lagadapati Rajagopal always seems to have his way in getting things done to his convenience. A Congress leader in the city has patiently done some research on the personal details of all the 42 MPs from the State, which are available on the website www.loksabha.nic.in. One can find these details under the category of ‘State wise list’ available through the link ‘sitting members’, which, in turn, can be reached through the left hand link of ‘members’ on the home page. As this leader brought to the notice of this newspaper, one can find the place of birth of every member from the State here, except that of Mr. Rajagopal. Well, is it because it is such an inconvenient truth? It is a known fact that Mr. Rajagopal hails from Nellore district. But, if Nedurumalli Janardhana Reddy, who hails from the same district, can get elected from Visakhapatnam but still have his place of birth mentioned on the website, why not Mr. Rajagopal? This leader says the MP appears to have ‘managed’ every thing to get his place of birth not included in his bio data on the website. Could it be?

A fight with somebody equal in stature is what a person will ask for in any given situation. It seems all the more true in the case of politicians and people’s representatives. TDP leaders are often locked in a fight of bitter allegations with their Congress counterparts down the line of their parties. TDP leaders chose not to answer the allegations made by a Congress leader. The ruling party leader raised many issues, including questions about who is the right heir to NTR’s legacy and the like. TDP leaders, however, have decided not to pick up an argument on the grounds that they would respond only when questions come from a leader matching with their standing in politics. Many are the ways of politicians, as is evident from their reactions and responses to specific situations.

Last week, CPI activists ‘stormed’ a private godown in One Town just for the benefit of lensmen, who wanted to capture some action. They thronged the godown when its owners opened them to allow civil supplies officials to inspect the stock. Though they could have stormed the godown as per a decision of their party leadership, the activists refrained from doing so, heeding to the advice given by the police. But, the traders did not bother to return the courtesy. They invited CPI leader K. Subba Raju to their association hall the next day and warned him not to storm the godowns. The CPI leader did not quite take kindly to the drawing of ‘Lakshman Rekha’ by the chamber to his party workers. Losing his cool, Mr. Subba Raju made it clear to the traders that his party activists would really storm godowns if they got information that food grains were being hoarded. Some more action in store, it seems.

Manipuram Road Over Bridge is now no one’s baby with R&B Department and Guntur Municipal Corporation trying to wash off their hands in taking up the responsibility of completing the city’s most crucial link to NH No.5 towards Vijayawada. The bridge is complete except for shifting of a pipeline of Municipal Corporation for construction of retaining wall on the north-eastern side. Municipal Commissioner Siddhartha Jain after unsuccessful attempt to get bidders for the pipeline shifting contract, had written to the CDMA to ask R&B to take up the project departmentally and was waiting for a reply. Meanwhile R&B Chief Engineer K. Siva Reddy blamed the GMC for not paying its portion of Rs.3.7 crore for the project cost. He wanted the GMC to take up the project departmentally if no contractor came forward and blamed the corporation for escalation of cost by Rs.5 crore.

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