Botcha defends Congress decision to contest bypoll

August 27, 2014 11:40 pm | Updated October 24, 2016 08:05 pm IST - VIJAYAWADA:

Former PCC president Botcha Satyanarayna addressing a press conference in Vijayawada on Wednesday. Photo. Ch. Vijaya Bhaskar.

Former PCC president Botcha Satyanarayna addressing a press conference in Vijayawada on Wednesday. Photo. Ch. Vijaya Bhaskar.

A day after the party has announced its candidate for the bye-election to Nandigama Assembly constituency, the Congress strongly defended its decision claiming that the party wanted to highlight the ruling Telugu Desam Party’s failures in fulfilling its promises through the bypoll.

AP Congress Committee former president Botcha Satyanarayana said political parties followed the tradition of not fielding candidates if the sitting MLA/MP was killed by extremists or terrorists. But the present case was an altogether different one as the TDP government failed to deliver its promises on crop loan waiver, DWCRA loans and job to each household among others.

“We are fielding our candidate to fight for people’s cause and not to derive any political mileage. By winning one constituency, we cannot change the government or attain power. It is for creating awareness among people about the failure of TDP in fulfilling its promises,” said Mr. Satyanarayana.

Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, he said it had been close to 100 days since the TDP came to power but not one promise mentioned in the manifesto was fulfilled. People, especially farmers, women and unemployed pinned hopes on Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to bail them out from adverse financial situations but they were all disappointed.

Of the seven Cabinet meetings conducted till date, no clear announcement on the waiver of crop loans, loans obtained by DWCRA groups and unemployment allowance was forthcoming from the government. On the crop loan waiver in particular, the State government and RBI were indulging in blame game. At the same time, DWCRA groups were receiving notices from banks asking them to repay their debt besides charging Rs. 100 each from every member towards the expenditure incurred on issuing notices.

On the possibility of alliances with other parties, especially the YSR Congress, in Nandigama bypoll, he said the Congress party would contest the elections on its own.

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