The Hindu : PCC chief wants VHR to defer yatra

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Apr 26, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

PCC chief wants VHR to defer yatra

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD April 25. Seeking to steer clear of the controversy over the proposed Sonia Sandesh Yatra by the AICC secretary, V. Hanumanth Rao, the APCC president, M. Satyanarayana Rao, has said he is not against Mr. Hanumanth Rao taking up the Sandesh yatra but has only differed with the latter over the timing of the launch of the yatra.

In an informal chat with reporters at Gandhi Bhavan on Friday, the PCC president said he wanted Mr. Hanumanth Rao to postpone his yatra since the CLP leader, Y.S Rajasekhara Reddy, had already launched a padayatra which evoked huge public response. "It is a fact that Mr. Hanumanth Rao informed me about his proposed yatra, but he did not tell me about the time when it would be launched. Since the seniors' meeting authorised me, I wanted him to postpone his yatra to avoid diversions to the padayatra being undertaken by the CLP leader,'' he said.

Asked whether he would take up the matter with the party high command, Mr. Rao said he was against approaching the high command for petty issues.

Meanwhile, the Congress Legislature Party criticised the Minister for Information, S. Chandramohan Reddy, for his remarks on the CLP leader yesterday.

Addressing a press conference, the CLP members, J Ramamohana Rao, K Venkat Reddy and others compared the Information Minister with a dancer in the court of the Chief Minister who was trying to provoke the CLP leader who took up the cause of the poor. "But the Minister cannot foil the CLP leader's yatra with his provocations,'' they said.

Stating that Dr. Rajasekhara Reddy had been meeting people personally to know their problems and getting huge response, they said ruling party leaders, including Mr. Naidu, who initially claimed that they did not attach much importance to the padayatra were now watching the proceedings keenly and criticising the CLP leader unable to bear the response to the yatra.

The Congress legislators also made it clear that they were not against pressuring the neighbouring Karnataka Government over the release of Krishna waters to the State provided the Government led an all-party delegation to Karnataka.

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PCC chief wants VHR to defer yatra