The Congress, after cutting a sorry figure in the recently held general elections, appears to have rolled up its sleeves to wrest Nandigama Assembly, where by-poll is scheduled to be held on September 13.
The party has already pooled its leaders from different districts and intensified campaign in Nandigama. The Congress leadership seems to have decided to pull up the ruling Telugu Desam Party on its alleged failure to keep its promises made during general elections, with loan waiver topping the bill.
Terming the TDP betrayer of farmers, Pradesh Congress Committee president N. Raghuveera Reddy began the campaign here Sunday, saying that the yellow bandwagon could never win the hearts of farmers.
“It has been 100 days since N. Chandrababu Naidu took charge as the Chief Minister, but he reneged on every promise, may it be loan waiver or employment to youth,” he said.
He even played the video clips of Mr. Naidu’s election speech on giant screens at the Rythu Mahila Sadassu organised by the Congress and told the audience to decide if Mr. Naidu was a betrayer. “Forget waiving loans, farmers and DWCRA groups are getting notices from banks. A few banks even auctioned the gold pledged by farmers,” alleged Mr. Reddy.
Carrying it forward, former Union Minister Killi Kruparani, former Ministers Kondru Murali, Devineni Rajasekhar and Kanna Laxminarayana, former Vijayawada Central MLA Malladi Vishnu toed the party line, listing out the TDP’s ‘failures’.
Ms. Kruparani appealed to people to cast their votes for the Congress saying that let the poll results be a warning to the government. Mr. Laxminarayana said that it was the Congress, which always stood by farmers. “Apart from electricity bills, the Congress unconditionally waived off Rs.15,000 crore farm loans, unlike the TDP which is making excuses like RBI guidelines, and loan rescheduling,” he said.
