Southern States - Andhra Pradesh   

MSR keeps free power issue alive

By Our Staff Reporter

KARIMNAGAR OCT. 22. The Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president, M. Satyanarayana Rao, has said there is difference of opinion in the Congress on the promise of free power supply to farmers. However, the party did not pass any resolution in this regard at the PCC executive meeting, he said and added that the party has to take the permission of the high command and that there is no ambiguity over the issue.

The PCC president was here on Tuesday to participate in the Panchayat Raj-Nagarapalika sadassu organised by the District Congress Committee.

Talking to newsmen, he said during the 1999 elections, the present CLP leader and then PCC president, Y.S Rajasekhara Reddy, took permission of the AICC president, Sonia Gandhi, and incorporated the free-power-to-farmers promise in the election manifesto.

Asked about the stand of the rebel leader, P. Janardhan Reddy, Mr. Satyanarayana Rao said, "I would not talk about rebel leaders, including P. Janardhan Reddy and the former Karimnagar DCC president, K Mruthyunjayam.''

Mr. Satyanarayana Rao was all praise for Ms. Sonia Gandhi for strengthening the party.

Referring to the alleged derogatory remarks made by the VHP leader, Praveen Togadia, against Ms. Sonia Gandhi, he said: "He (Mr. Togadia is a mad fellow and out of frustration over defeat in the Kashmir elections he made such statements.'' The statements are against the Indian culture, he said and added that any person could defer on party ideologies and policies, but not on personal life. He said the Sangh Parivar is deliberately creating such controversies and condemned the statement. He said secularism was not safe in the hands of the Sangh Parivar.

With regard to the Panchayat raj- nagarapalika sadassus, he said that so far they had organised seven sadassus in various district and eighth one was being held in Karimnagar. There was tremendous response from all local bodies representatives who are fighting the State Government for diluting local bodies' powers, he said.

The party would organise such meetings in all districts and later extend it to Assembly constituency level and later mandal level till March 2003. He said presently they were awakening people and after March 2003, they would launch agitational programmes. He said TDP local bodies' representatives were also opposing the Government's policies of introducing the nodal system and others introduce to dilute the local bodies. The CWC member, Sarojini Pulla Reddy, exuded confidence that the Congress would return to power in the State under the leadership of Mr. Satyanarayana Rao and Dr. Rajasekhara Reddy. Lauding the services of the PCC chief, she said all party leaders were working together under his leadership and there was no difference of opinion.

The DCC president and Manthani legislator, D Sridhar, the Indurthi legislator and PCC general secretary, Bomma Venkateshwar, the Buggaram legislator and PCC secretary, J Ratnakar Rao, the APCC panchayat raj and rural development cell chairman, N. Satyanarayana, and others were present.

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• A.P. farmers attack police
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• MSR keeps free power issue alive

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