The Hindu : Naidu rejects CLP leader's plea

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Mar 21, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

Naidu rejects CLP leader's plea

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD MARCH 20. The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, on Thursday dismissed a letter given to him by the CLP leader, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, as `nothing new' and said everyone working in a democracy had to behave in a dignified manner.

Reacting to Dr. Reddy's letter, Mr. Naidu said people were watching every action of political leaders. It would not pay dividends for any leader to act in a high-handed manner in the legislature, he added.

Addressing a meeting of the Telugu Desam Legislature Party (TDLP), he accused Congress leaders of double standards on power purchase agreements (PPAs) by seeking their cancellation and yet selling power from non-conventional hydel projects operated by them at Rs. 3.32 paise a unit.

Mr. Naidu found no basis in their demand for scrapping the PPAs with private power developers for gas and coal-based projects since they were the lowest in the country. He said Dr. Reddy's letter daring the Government to nationalise mini hydel projects and to supply free power to farmers lacked sincerity and conviction.

Earlier, Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, complained to Mr. Naidu against the `vilification campaign' launched by TDP members against him and offered to submit himself to any inquiry into their accusations.

Accompanied by several Congress MLAs, Dr. Reddy met Mr. Naidu in the latter's chambers in the Assembly today and handed over the letter stating that the `continuous mischievous propaganda' had caused him untold agony. He held the Chief Minister squarely responsible for his partymen's attempts to malign his character.

The CLP leader's action was aimed at clearing himself of charges hurled at him by TDP members during a debate in the House last month on the Congress demand for cancellation of power purchase agreements (PPAs) with private developers. TDP members held that Dr. Reddy had lost moral ground to make such a demand since his own family members were running hydel projects and selling power at Rs. 3.32 a unit.

In his letter, the CLP leader insisted that the Government order an inquiry by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court into the allegations levelled by the TDP that he (Dr. Reddy) and his family members were exploiting the Government through their mini hydel project.

Dr. Reddy dared Mr. Naidu to nationalise all the 100-odd non-conventional hydel projects if he was convinced that power could be supplied by them at 30 paise a unit. This would not only help public interest but also facilitate free power supply to farmers in the upland areas. If Mr. Naidu could not take such action, he must restrain his MLAs from making baseless allegations. The most objectionable accusation by the TDP was that he was responsible for triggering communal violence in Hyderabad in 1990. However, the Heeraman Singh Commission did not find an iota of evidence about his involvement in the riots and held the BJP's rath yatra responsible for the violence. ``If you feel that your allegations are true, you can appoint another commission and you can hang me if my involvement is proved.'' He said 28 criminal cases were foisted against him after the TDP came to power but he was not proved guilty in any single case as the Government had no guts to appeal in higher courts. He said the crime rate and factional violence actually came down in Pulivendla constituency after his election in 1978, but TDP MLAs blamed him for every murder there.

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