For the second consecutive day, the temple city of Tirupati witnessed widespread protests and demonstrations held by leaders belonging to the opposition parties and their frontal units, resenting the harsh power tariff hike being sought to be put on the people.
The TDP, under the leadership of its Deputy Leader in Assembly and Nagari MLA G. Muddukrishnama Naidu, held a vociferous demonstration in front of the Tirupati-based Southern Power Distribution Company (APSPDCL) covering Chittoor, Kadapa, Nellore, Prakasam, Guntur and Krishna districts. They lambasted the government for trying to tax the public for its own inept and corrupt handling of the power sector and warned that the people of the State, who were already vexed and frustrated over ‘insensitive and inefficient’ administration of the Congress-led UPA government, which had already devastated their lives in all ways would not be taking the steep hike lying down.
Naidu, while launching a broadside at the Kiran Kumar Reddy government, said that while Congress after coming back to power had resorted to an aggregate increase of Rs.13,000 crore during the first six years, Kiran Kumar Reddy had in his just two years stint, as the Chief Minister, enjoyed the dubious distinction of putting a whopping additional burden of Rs.32,000 crore on the people of the State.
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The 2.3 crore power consumers of Andhra Pradesh were being crushed and squeezed by the State government as never before by the avaricious State government to mop up more revenue for its treasury, Naidu charged.
Among other TDP leaders who participated in the dharna were Chittoor MP N. Sivaprasad, district party leaders Jangalapalli Srinivasulu, Rajasimhulu Naidu, Chadalawada Krishnamurthy.