The Indian National Congress (INC) has shot twelve queries to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and dared the ruling party to come for a debate in the public domain.
The list, a mix of national, State and local issues pertaining to Tirupati, released here on Monday by Congress Working Committee (CWC) special invitee Chinta Mohan and All India Congress Committee(AICC) member K. Prameelamma included the Special Category Status (SCS), privatisation of Visakhapatnam Steel plant, Dugarajupatnam port remaining a non-starter, closure of NTPC-BHEL Power Projects Limited (NBPPL) plant at Mannavaram and stoppage of the double bed room houses sanctioned to 7,008 women beneficiaries of Tirupati.
Dr. Mohan demanded the centre to spell out the logic behind the unrestrained rise in the price of petroleum products. “Congress is a party focussed on the common man’s welfare. The UPA government never allowed the prices to skyrocket and had brought several interventions to arrest its rise, but the BJP seems to be concerned only about the welfare of its crony capitalists,” he retorted. He also sought to know what was the quantum of benefit to A.P in the ₹38 lakh crore Budget announced by the Centre recently.
Referring to the ‘atrocious rule’ in the State, Dr. Chinta Mohan said the Congress party would not contest the local body elections by taking on the ‘rowdy elements’, but announced to be in the fray for the ensuing by-election to the Tirupati parliamentary seat.
In Nellore
Meanwhile, speaking at a media conference in Venkatagiri in Nellore district that forms a part of Tirupati Lok Sabha constituency, Dr. Chinta Mohan maintained that the BJP-led government at the Centre should not sell the public sector Visakhapatnam Steel Plant.
The saffron party should take note of the fact that the VSP was achieved following great sacrifices made by Andhra people and take steps to make the PSU profitable, he said. Accusing the BJP-led government at the Centre of meting out a raw deal to Andhra Pradesh, he opined that the saffron party had no moral right to seek votes in the Tirupati Parliamentary byelection.