Date:10/12/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/10/stories/2008121052320300.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Defeat Congress, Ashok tells farmers

Correspondent

VIZIANAGARAM: TDP leaders have asked farmers to defeat the Congress in the upcoming elections, for, it cheated them in all respects. As part of organising constituency-level meetings, rythu sadassu at Kothavalasa was organised at Kothavalasa, 35 km. from here, on Tuesday. The party Polit Bureau member P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju, district president Y. Ramana Murty, former MPs M.V.V.S. Murty and D.V.G. Sankara Rao, MLAs Padala Aruna and P. Narayanaswamy Naidu, Telugu Rythu district president Mopada Krishna Murthy, and others participated.

Black marketing

Stating that the Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy Government was promoting black marketing and neglecting DWCRA bazars and rythu bazars, Mr. Ashok said that though the Swaminathan Commission had recommended minimum support price, the Centre had not taken note of it. At the same time, it had been importing food items at higher rates anticipating commissions, he said. On irrigation projects in the district, Mr. Ashok recalled that the Chief Minister had inaugurated the Jhanjhavathi project on January 1, 2006 but water had not so far been released from the rubber dam. He asked farmers to teach the Congress government a lesson in the elections.

Mr. M.V.V.S. Murty said that the government had appointed “adarsha rythulu” for the purpose of propaganda.