The Hindu : `Pushkarams, symbols of communal harmony'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Aug 12, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

`Pushkarams, symbols of communal harmony'

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD AUG. 11. Upbeat over the successful conclusion of the 12-day-long Godavari Pushkarams attended by an estimated six crore people, the Telugu Desam president, N. Chandrababu Naidu, today declared that the "Government's success is the party's success."

Responding to questions at a press conference at the NTR Bhavan whether he felt the TDP's stock had risen during the pushkarams, Mr. Naidu said that people were with his party secure in the knowledge that the TDP Government would always safeguard their interests as it did during one of the worst-ever droughts earlier this year.

He said a survey revealed that nearly 94 to 95 per cent of pilgrims, who took a holy dip in the Godavari, expressed happiness with the arrangements. Notwithstanding criticism in the media initially, the fact remained that people were jubilant.

It was no mean task for the Government to regulate lakhs of people at the bathing ghats when even the queue complex in Tirumala handled only 60,000-70,000 devotees a day.

The TDP president disagreed with the view that the thin line dividing the Government and the ruling party was getting blurred under his dispensation. It was the party's responsibility to inform and educate people about the Government's programmes. "Afterall, it is the party that has to motivate people to go for voting,'' he added.

`No communal angle'

Denying a suggestion that the TDP Government had sought to promote the interests of the Hindus by giving funds to the tune of Rs. 175 crores for the Pushkarams, he said that there was no communal angle to it.

The Government had merely acted as a facilitator in order to avoid public criticism if the arrangements had failed.

He claimed that people of all faiths, including Islam, had participated in the Pushkarams which had become symbols of communal harmony.

This was particularly evident at Kandakurthy in Nizamabad district where Muslims took part in good numbers.

On whether he was getting his party into the election mode with his numerous tours and public programmes in the recent past, Mr. Naidu said he believed that the Government and the ruling party must furnish people with correct information and foil the Opposition's attempts to mislead them.

He refuted recent reports quoting him as saying at a party meeting that the TDP would win 100 seats if elections were held now.

All he had said was that the party was comfortably placed in several constituencies but needed to concentrate in the rest. But, he had never mentioned numbers.

The TDP chief said the party would discuss the Prime Minister's proposal for reservations for the poor among unreserved categories.

Declines comment on civil code

He, however, declined to comment on the issue of common civil code or the apex court's observation that Government employees had no moral or equitable right to strike.

Responding to a question, he said the TDP need not reiterate every now and then its support to the NDA Government.

There was no change in its stand of extending outside support without compromising on issues like good governance and secularism. "Which political party can take a principled stand of remaining outside the Government in spite of having 41 MPs?'' he asked.

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