Union Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu on Friday took a dig at doling out indiscriminate freebies and called for striking a proper balance between development and welfare.
He said political populism of freebies needed to be properly assessed and pointed out that sops could be offered if only wealth was created. Mr. Naidu said people should be made partners in the development process and called for moving ahead with new ideas and reforms, while shedding old ‘isms’.
Later, replying to questions, he said privatisation was a reality and both private and public sectors should co-exist. Referring to public-private partnerships, he said the legislature had a role in regulating and making them accountable.
To a question by R. Padmaraju, MLC on the huge amount of money being spent in elections by candidates, he said only laws could not curb the practice and that people should be enlightened on the issue. It was “shameful” that crores were spent during elections in Andhra Pradesh. Referring to paid news, he said it was time to think for all, including newspapers.
Replying to another query by N. Rajakumari, MLC on the granting of special category status to Andhra Pradesh, he promised that the Centre would do justice.
Mr. Naidu asked Ministers and MLAs to observe rules when YSR Congress legislator Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy said he was not invited when two Ministers had visited his constituency to identify a site for setting up a national institution.
Former Lok Sabha Secretary-General Subhash Kashyap said he agreed with the spirit of the question when Social Welfare Minister R. Kishore Babu sought his views on the manner in which the AP Reorganisation Bill was passed without proper debate and amendments not carried out properly.
