HYDERABAD: Asserting that the Congress ‘dares to dream,’ Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy on Monday released his party’s manifesto, holding forth the promise of free power supply for nine hours a day to the agricultural sector and gas (LPG) connection to every household.
Though the Congress restrained itself from coming up with a populist scheme to match the TDP’s offer of colour TVs and cash transfer, it modified its previous promises. Besides nine-hour free power supply and LPG to every family, the party has promised to increase the quantity of rice given under the Rs 2-a-kg scheme from 4 kg per person per month to 6 kg.
Explaining that that the provision of additional quantity of rice under the subsidy rice scheme to a maximum of four members in a family would entail an additional expenditure of Rs 4,000 crore, Rajasekhara Reddy claimed it was not a populist scheme but one intended to provide food security to people.
Later speaking to newsmen, he took potshots at the Opposition for ganging up against the Congress. ‘‘During my 30 years of political career, I have seen that people vote for only those who perform.
If my government has really failed in delivering the goods, people will vote us out. There is no need for the Opposition to gang up against the Congress," he said.
The Chief Minister also ridiculed the TDP’s populist schemes like distribution of colour TVs to the poor. "We do not require such cheap schemes to gain public support," he quipped and felt credibility was the most important asset for any political party.
"But no Opposition party has it," he added.
Dissidents huff and puff in Cong
HYDERABAD: Congress leaders, who failed to get party tickets to contest in the elections, are coming out against the party leadership. Though the dissidence is a little muted, some like Kakinada MLA Mutha Gopalakrishna and Small Scale Industries Minister Gollapalli Surya Rao are pressing the exit button. The former told the Chief Minister on Monday that he wouldn’t even like to meet him! He said he will be contesting elections. Surya Rao too turned emotional and announced his intention to bid adieu to the Congress.