HYDERABAD: Claiming that the four crore “beneficiaries” of the State Government’s welfare schemes would be the Congress Party’s star campaigners in the forthcoming elections, Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy today asserted that he would “own full responsibility for the party’s poll performance in the State.” Early release of the candidates’ list and the election manifesto would itself indicate the strength of Congress as compared to other parties, he remarked.
Participating at the “Meet the Press” programme organised by the Andhra Pradesh Union of Working Journalists (APUWJ) here, Rajasekhara Reddy asserted that the promises being made by the Opposition, particularly the Telugu Desam and the Praja Rajyam would be exposed as “hollow”.
In fact, if mere promises could sway people, then they would vote for KA Paul’s Praja Shanti Party since the latter had promised Rs 1 lakh per annum, that is, about Rs 8,000 per month per family, as against TDP’s promise of Rs 2,000 under the Cash Transfer Scheme (CTS).
Replying to a query, he quipped that the fact that TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu and PRP leader Chiranjeevi were focusing their campaigning against the Congress itself showed that they considered the party “Number One” in the State.
Unlike in the past, there was no groupism in the State Congress since the party had sorted out issues objectively, he claimed.
With regard to selection of party candidates, Reddy exuded confidence that there would be no impact on the party’s performance by disappointed ticket aspirants. “We are quite sure that the Congress will win 234 Assembly and 36 MP seats in the elections,” he added.
As for the power sector, the chief minister hoped that with 1800 MW being generated by July 2009, Andhra Pradesh would in fact be in a position to sell power to other States. Production would increase after Reliance Company started supply in a month or two, he said.
On rising prices of essentials in the State in spite of good rainfall and higher agricultural productivity, he said this was because benefit to farmers by way of increased minimum support price was reflected in the open market, and added that it was to alleviate the burden on the people that the Rs 2-a-kg rice scheme was introduced.