Date:10/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/10/stories/2008081060140800.htm

Andhra Pradesh

‘Modify policies or face consequences’

Correspondent

Raghavulu’s word of caution to YSR

VIZIANAGARAM: “It is not proper for Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy to think that his programmes and policies are above criticism and Opposition parties are pricking holes only with prejudice. His policies would boomerang if uncorrected,” B.V. Raghavulu, CPI (M) State secretary, cautioned on Saturday.

He said that all Opposition parties, excluding BJP, which had been opposing the policies of the State Government, would be meeting in Hyderabad at 11 a.m. on Sunday to finalise a common agitational programme.

Jalayagnam

The party favours an understanding among non-Congress and anti-BJP parties in the forthcoming elections too to defeat the Congress.

Referring to an interview of the Chief Minister in a television channel recently, Mr. Raghavulu told a mediapersons here on Saturday that the breaches to river gap work at Thotapalli in Vizianagaram on Friday evening and Palem Vagu in Khammam district recently were ample proof of corruption in ‘Jalayagnam’ and inferior quality work done by contractors.

In spite of that there was no action against any one, he said and added that the breaches occurred even when the rainfall was moderate. With regard to ‘Indiramma’ houses, he said, as per the party’s survey majority of houses belonged to ineligible. Some of the beneficiaries, who completed became bankrupt due to soaring prices of steel and cement. The assurance given to beneficiaries to release bridge loans was not fulfilled, he said and added some Rs.6000 to Rs.7000crore was wasted on this account.

In case of supplying edible oil and red gram, the government had not been releasing sufficient quota for all.

On NREGP, the Chief Minister suspended works under the scheme during the kharif season when 11 districts registered deficit rainfall. The CPI (M) leader said, due to lack of facilities in the post-operation period under Arogyasri scheme, patients were dying.

The deaths in the agency were more due to malaria and other fevers but the government was silent on such incidents, he said.