People's Democracy

ANDHRA PRADESH

Congress Defeat Looks Certain In AP

M Venugopala Rao

THE emergence of Third alternative to the Congress and the BJP in the country and victory of the alliance of four friendly parties - TDP, CPI(M), CPI and TRS - in Andhra Pradesh was certain in the general elections, Prakash Karat, general secretary of the CPI(M), asserted. Addressing a massive public meeting in Tirupati on April 20, 2009 which was organised by the TDP, CPI(M) and CPI in connection with the campaign for the second phase of polling in the state that is going to take place on April 23, Prakash Karat said the UPA government at the centre and the Congress government in the state failed to work sincerely for solving the problems of the people during the last five years. He said that during their regimes, the farmers, workers and the middle class people have been saddled with many problems, including spiralling prices, and that problems of any section of the common people have not been solved. The Congress-led UPA government had failed to offer solution to the financial problems being faced by the country, but had created a few billionaires, Karat said. In Andhra Pradesh, the family of chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy amassed wealth joining the club of billionaires and no politician in the country was as rich as Reddy, Prakash Karat said. Asserting that there is need for alternative government of the third front in the country to safeguard secularism and communal harmony and for betterment of the lot of the people, Prakash Karat explained that the non-Congress and non-BJP parties in states like Tamilnadu, Orissa and Karnataka were moving in the direction of forming the third front. Sharad Pawar of NCP, too, was on the side of the third front in the country, except in Maharashtra, he said. Since leaders like Lalu Prasad Yadav and Ram Vilas Paswan, claiming themselves to be leaders of the fourth front, had claimed Manmohan Singh as their prime minister, voting for the Praja Rajyam Party in Andhra Pradesh which was claiming itself as a partner in the fourth front, would help the Congress party only, Prakash Karat made it clear. Twenty-five years back the late N T Rama Rao had endeavoured to bring the opposition parties together as a result of which the National Front government headed by V P Singh could be formed in 1989, Karat recollected. Now, the TDP president, N Chandrababu Naidu, too, was endeavouring in that direction, he said. Karat was fully confident that the alliance of the four parties would win with a thumping majority and form the government in the state. Appealing to the people of the state to vote overwhelmingly for the alliance, Prakash Karat asserted that the TDP, CPI(M) and CPI would work together for the development of the state and for protecting secularism and communal harmony.

Chandrababu Naidu gave a call to the people to put an end to the Narakasura-like rule of the Rajasekhara Reddy government by defeating the Congress in the elections and celebrate Diwali on May 16, amidst thunderous applause from the people. He announced that after government of the alliance was formed, it would order for inquiry into the corrupt practices of the Congress leaders and take action if the charges were proved. Terming Rajasekhara Reddy as a disruptive and selfish force, Chandrababu accused him of whipping up communal tensions in Hyderabad in the past. With reports from the intelligence wing of the police reaching him and having realised that the Congress was getting defeated in the constituencies where the first phase of polling had taken place in the state, Rajasekhara Reddy was talking in terms of whipping up regional animosities, Chandrababu criticised. He taunted Praja Rajyam as Rajyam without people and as a family Rajyam. Chandrababu maintained that the PRP could not open its account in the first phase of polling and that it would not open account in the final phase of polling also. A vote for PRP would benefit the Congress and a vote for the latter would be voting for corruption only, he observed. Explaining the failures and corruption of the Congress government, Chandrababu Naidu pointed out that with implementation of cash transfer scheme, as promised in the TDP election manifesto, the poor would get economic independence.

D Raja, secretary of national council of the CPI, said that regional political parties would be crucial for the future of the country. He commented that it was high time that Rajasekhara Reddy was given the title of king of corruption. Raja criticised that the UPA government had failed miserably to implement the enactments intended for benefiting the people of scheduled castes and tribes. He asserted that formation of an alternative government with out the Congress and the BJP was certain. B V Raghavulu, Polit Bureau member and secretary of A P state committee of the CPI(M), said that corruption had become ubiquitous under the Congress regime in the state and that the credit for extending it to the premises of Sri Venkateswara Swamy on the Tirumala hills went to it. He criticised the government for not using the funds of the TTD for the welfare of the common people and facilities for the devotees, and diverting the same for the benefit of the contractors and corporate houses. Raghavulu appealed to the people to bury the Congress fathom deep in the general elections and asserted that then only it would be possible to put an end to the corrupt regime of that party. K Narayana, state secretary of the CPI, said that the four parties had succeeded in bringing the corrupt practices of the Congress government to the notice of the people. There was massive positive response from the people to the alliance after the cash transfer scheme was announced, he said. If the corrupt practices of the Congress were put to an end, much more financial assistance could be given to the people, Narayana said. Earlier, under the banner of the CPI(M), a rally was taken out from the statue of NTR to the venue of the meeting.

Earlier V Srinivasa Rao, member of the central secretariat of the CPI(M), appealed to the people to get rid of Congress government by defeating that party in the general elections and asserted that emergence of a third front without the Congress and the BJP and formation of government by it at the centre was certain. He extensively toured in several constituencies in Prakasam, Nellore, Krishna and Guntur districts and participated in meetings and road shows in support of the candidates of the CPI(M) and friendly parties contesting in the elections. Addressing a meeting at Cheemakurti in Prakasam district, Srinivasa Rao appealed to the workers to get rid of the Congress government and elect a government that would work for their welfare. He accused the Congress government of affecting the interests of workers and farmers and supporting the capitalists by not implementing the labour laws. How could Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, who was in debts before he became the chief minister, amass thousands of crores of rupees, he asked. Srinivasa Rao participated in road shows at several villages in Santanutalapadu constituency from where Jala Anjayya is contesting as the CPI(M) candidate. He explained that as a result of the anti-people policies adopted by the corrupt Congress government, their living standards had decreased. Appealing to the people to elect the candidates of the alliance, Srinivasa Rao promised that they would work for creating infrastructure facilities which were neglected by the Congress government. He addressed a meeting of Mandal-level workers at Santanutalapadu. He gave a call to the workers to work relentlessly for victory in the elections and explain to the people the corrupt practices adopted by the Congress government during the last five years. Srinivasa Rao toured extensively in Nellore rural constituency from where the CPI(M) candidate T P Bhanuraju is contesting. Speaking on the occasion he said that the defeat of the Congress in the elections was a foregone conclusion. Sending leaders like Bhanuraju, who had dedicated their lives for public cause, to the legislative assembly would help the people much more, Srinivasa Rao said. He also addressed election meetings in support of the candidature of Ch Baburao of the CPI(M) in Vijayawada. Srinivasa Rao addressed four meetings in Duggirala Mandal in Mangalagiri constituency in Guntur district from where CPI(M) candidate D Srinivasakumari is in the fray.

Murderous Attack On PNM Artists

The Congress party goondas led by Krishnamohan Reddy, the son of Congress candidate K P Kondareddy, who is contesting the elections from Markapur in Prakasam district, made murderous attacks with sticks and axes on artists of Praja Natya Mandali on April 19, 2009 when the latter were waiting at the outskirts of Kondepalli village for the TDP candidate K Narayana Reddy. Altogether seven people were injured in the attacks. Out of them the condition of Darsi Bhaskar, member of the Markapur division committee of the CPI(M) and P Narayana Raju, division secretary of shephards� union sustained serious injuries on head and body, while the division secretary of PNM and some other artists sustained injuries. When nine artists of PNM were waiting at the school at the outskirts of the village to enter the village along with the TDP candidate for election campaigning, around 50 people led by the son of Congress candidate came there and started abusing them for daring to come to the village of the candidate for election campaigning and attacked the artists. The Congress goondas chased the PNM artists away. After preliminary treatment at the local hospital where they were shifted in an unconscious condition, Bhaskar and Narayana were later shifted to government hospital in Guntur where they are undergoing treatment. Condemning the attack, leaders of the TDP, CPI(M) and CPI submitted a memorandum to the collector of Prakasam district demanding stern action against the culprits.

B V Raghavulu, in a statement, condemned the attack by Congress goondas. He said it was reprehensible that, being intolerant to conducting election campaign in a democratic way, the attack was made under the leadership of Krishnamohan Reddy. Raghavulu demanded immediate arrest of the accused and severe punishment to them.