YSR spares TDP, but attacks Left

Guntur: In a departure from his usual rhetoric, YSR on Saturday skipped commenting on the TDP and instead trained his guns on former allies, the Left parties, and assailed their land for landless agitation.

Addressing a meet at B R Stadium here, the CM , without naming the Left parties, said that neither the Congress nor the state government need lessons on welfare from some political parties. “We are giving pucca houses to the poor in the state. Unfortunately, some political parties are waging a war for house sites,” he said.

According to him, about 19 lakh houses would be constructed in the first phase of the Indiramma programme and nearly 22 lakh houses in the second phase. “The construction of lakhs of houses is going on at a brisk pace and the aim is to ensure that no one is left without a house in the state,” he said.

“I do not understand the agitations launched by some parties for house sites for the poor. They are trying to mislead the people by telling them that the government launched housing schemes for the people only due to the agitation launched by these parties. We need no lessons from any political party on doing good for the poor”.

YSR said he had advised Sonia against visiting Hyderabad after the bomb blasts to avoid unnecessary publicity to the terrorist attacks. Such publicity would have shown the state in a bad light and also reflect on the investments, he added.

Behind The Scene: Babu silences 'Maharaja'!

Former minister and senior Telugu Desam leader P Ashoka Gajapathiraju is hardly seen at the TD State party headquarters NTR Bhavan. He used to be active while the TD was in power. The former "Maharaja" of Vizianagaram kingdom has reportedly decided not to be in the limelight at least for one more year. And this explains why he is not seen much at NTR Bhavan. Moreover, Chandrababu Naidu has entrusted the responsibility to his "trusted lieutenants" MV Mysoora Reddy and Nagam Janardhan Reddy.

An interesting aspect now observed in TD headquarters is the active participation of former information minister Dadi Veerabhadra Rao. This man had remained silent for more than five years. But during the past three months, he is sitting on the media conference dias and sharing it often with none other than Chandrababu Naidu.

Another leader who has been given a "raw deal" is former union minister Ummareddy Venkateswarlu. Also same is the case with former CBI director and former minister K Vijayarama Rao.

Only God knows what is in the mind of Chandrababu Naidu these days.

TD MLAs, MPs for another political showdown

Looks like the Telugu Desam is itching for trouble. The TD which created a law and order problem by organising a trip to the controversial Obulapuram mines in Anantapur, has now decided to pay a similar visit to Jindal lands in the Visakhapatnam agency area.

Telugu Desam MPs and MLAs will visit and inspect the lands allotted to Jindal company in Visakhapatnam district for two days on August 13 and 14. The TD delegation wants to ascertain facts and find out whether the State government has violated any norms.

It was during such visit to Obulapuram that the police resorted to lathicharge. The TD leadership faced similar bad experience during the visit to Babli project site.

Alladi, Umareddy, KEK out of TD politburo

Former chief minister and Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu had wielded axe on senior TD leaders Alladi Rajkumar, Umareddy Venkateswarlu, A Ramana, KE Krishnamurthy and Yusuf Ali.

These TD leaders have been dropped from the politburo of the Telugu Desam. The politburo is an important decision-making body and their removal from such an important body means that these leaders have been cut to size.

Chandrababu Naidu has ensured that the State committee of the party is a dummy organisation with "yes sir" people.

Desam hopes to regain hold in Andhra

With an eye on regaining hold in Coastal Andhra, the Telugu Desam has set its eyes on strengthening the party in the nonth-coastal, once its stronghold. With the Assembly polls less than a couple of years away, the party has decided to concentrate upon the issues that will have impact upon the commoners and to become dearer to them.

A special team comprising important party leaders and TD public representatives would be touring the three districts of north Andhra for a week starting from August 11. The team would study the issues of bauxite mining, sand mining, ammonia nitrate storage facility, sale of Yarada and Kapparada hills by Vuda and Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation, which the party was opposing. The team would also derive strategies to get the public support on these issues.

The local party leaders and the activists are striving hard to gain the public support, which might fetch votes to the party in the coming elections, sources say..

TDP charges congress of wasting public money

Accusing the Congress government of wasting public money on publicity, the main opposition TDP demanded a white paper on the funds spent on publicity during the last three years.

Though congress had in the past criticised the tdp regime on publicity spending, it had been going overboard to promote the image of Chief minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy, senior TDP Legislator E Dayakar Rao alleged at a press conference here.

He challenged the government to publish a white paper covering the previous government's expenditure also. alleging that the government had drawn up a Rs 100 crore publicity blitzkrieg, Rao said his party would take the issue to the people and the day was not far off when the ruling party would be taught a fitting lesson for its misdeeds.

Citing the instance of Health minister S Chandrasekhar facing the public wrath yesterday at Mudigonda village, the scene of the July 28 police firing that claimed seven lives, he said a similar fate awaited the ruling party leaders. the TDP leader claimed that the government's reported move to launch a major publicity drive was aimed at covering up its omissions and commissions.

"However, they will not succeed in their designs, however hard they may try," Rao added.

TDP charges congress of wasting public money

Accusing the Congress government of wasting public money on publicity, the main opposition TDP demanded a white paper on the funds spent on publicity during the last three years.

Though congress had in the past criticised the tdp regime on publicity spending, it had been going overboard to promote the image of Chief minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy, senior TDP Legislator E Dayakar Rao alleged at a press conference here.

He challenged the government to publish a white paper covering the previous government's expenditure also. alleging that the government had drawn up a Rs 100 crore publicity blitzkrieg, Rao said his party would take the issue to the people and the day was not far off when the ruling party would be taught a fitting lesson for its misdeeds.

Citing the instance of Health minister S Chandrasekhar facing the public wrath yesterday at Mudigonda village, the scene of the July 28 police firing that claimed seven lives, he said a similar fate awaited the ruling party leaders. the TDP leader claimed that the government's reported move to launch a major publicity drive was aimed at covering up its omissions and commissions.

"However, they will not succeed in their designs, however hard they may try," Rao added.

Arguments between CPI leaders and BVR!

The Telugu Desam, which is waiting in the wings to capitalise on every issue that embarasses the government, has virtually created serious differences between the CPI and CPI-M leaders.

After the Mudigonda incident, the CPI-M is keen to draw support of other parties, more particularly TD, so that it can form an anti-Congress front in the state, CPI, on the other hand, wants to maintain distance from both the Congress and TD so that Left parties' distinct role in the land struggle is not diluted. K Narayana and S Sudhakar Reddy have been voicing moderation whereas B V Raghuvulu and Tammineni Veerabhadram want a show-down with Congress on Bhoo poratam and police firing issue.

Sources say Sudhakar Reddy's comments against Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu stating that the latter had no moral responsibility to participate in the land stir has led to arguments between CPI leaders and CPI-M State secretary B V Raghavulu. It is learnt Raghavulu argued that such a statement would cause damage to the Opposition's fight against the government, as it is the time to carry all the parties along with the Leftists to intensify the agitation. It has created an impression that CPI has fallen into the trap of the Congress, which would take advantage of the situation and run down the Opposition unity.

The CPI leaders are of the view that if the Telugu Desam is allowed to join the land stir, it would hijack the entire movement and would only sideline the Leftists. "The focus of Bhooporatam is lost, if the TD enters the scene because it only gives political colour to the agitation. Why should we give it such an opportunity? Let it fight on its own issues. The land stir should be confined only to the Leftists. If there are other issues, we can join hands with the TD," CPI State secretary Narayana argued.

Hyderabad Buzz: Talasani promotes his two sons

Former minister and senior Telugu Desam leader Talasani Srinivas Yadav wants to take advantage of the political situation in Hyderabad. With arch rival Krishna Yadav out of the party fold, Srinivas Yadav has now been focussing on the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation elections.

He reportedly wants to bring his two sons into politics. After all Srinivas Yadav himself was a small businessman before plunging into politics.

Srinivas Yadav has erected banners and pasted posters at vantage points in Secunderabad during the Lashkar Bonalu festival. The welcome banners and posters has the photographs of Srinivas Yadav and his two sons.

The publicity material was there for just two days. But on the third day the posters and banners went missing. Whatever be the reasons behind the missing of the posters, Srinivas Yadav has achieved one point: to promote his two sons, who are otherwise not known to anyone in twin cities.

A Day After Police Firing, Situation Tense In Khammam

The situation in Andhra Pradesh's Khammam district remained tense Sunday as activists of the left parties continued their protests, parading the bodies of six people who died in police firing a day earlier.

Wrapped in red flags of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), the bodies of the six were kept outside the district collector's officer in Khammam town, about 15 km from Mudigonda, the scene of the police firing.

The protestors have been staging a sit-in with the bodies since Saturday evening. They are demanding that murder cases be booked against the policemen involved in the 'unprovoked' firing.

The six CPI-M activists were killed and eight others were injured when police opened fired at protestors at Mudigonda, about 200 km from here, during the Left parties' statewide agitation seeking land for the poor. Initial reports had put the death toll at eight.

The Communist Party of India (CPI) and CPI-M had given call for a shutdown in Andhra Pradesh Saturday against the use of force by police against their activists at different places Thursday when the firing took place.

On Sunday, the two parties called for shutdown in Khammam district. For the second consecutive day, life came to a standstill in Khammam, considered one of the strongholds of the Left parties.

Shops and business establishments remained closed while the state-owned road transport corporation suspended its bus services.

The two parties and the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) are staging protests across the state to condemn the police firing. CPI-M politburo member Sitaram Yechuri and other leaders of the party and TDP president and former chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu have left for Khammam.

Talking to newsmen here before leaving for Khammam, Naidu demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy. He alleged that policemen used AK-47 rifles and Self Loading Rifles (SLRs) to fire at protestors.

'Never before in the history of the state have such sophisticated weapons been used against political activists,' he said.

The Congress government has blamed the presence of two Maoist leaders in the protest at Mudigonda for the violence.

However, acting swiftly, the chief minister ordered a judicial probe in the police firing, transferred the district superintendent of police and suspended the additional superintendent of police.

For nearly three months, the communist parties have been holding 'bhooporatam' or land agitation in the state, demanding housing sites and land for poor.

Some Left activists encroached government and private lands at various places in the state, leading to clashes with the police.

Last week, they intensified the protests when top leaders of the parties launched an indefinite strike in Hyderabad. Late Friday, the police shifted the fasting leaders to a hospital.

The Congress government maintains that the protest by the Left parties is 'unnecessary' as it has taken up a massive programme for construction of houses and distribution of surplus land among poor.

'There is no need for any opposition party to agitate as we remain committed to providing a house to every houseless family and land to every landless,' said Rajasekhara Reddy.

However, Saturday's incidents have embarrassed the ruling party.

The central leadership of the party has reportedly sought a report from Reddy on the incident as the Left parties, who are supporting Congress-led UPA government at the centre, have threatened that the incident could have its repercussions.

The CPI-M and CPI had fought the 2004 elections in the state in alliance with Congress. However, the CPI-M later distanced itself on the ground that the Congress government was resorting to 'anti-people measures'. The Left parties, especially CPI-M, later moved closer to the TDP.

Desam helps TRS in fighting rebels

Believe it or not, it is the Telugu Desam Party which is indirectly helping the Telangana Rashtra Samithi to fight its rebel MLAs Duggyala Srinivasa Rao and Mandadi Satyanarayana Reddy, who have become thorn in the flesh for TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao.

True to the Telugu adage: "Kaagala Karyam Gandharvule Teerchinattu," the TRS leaders in Warangal district are immensely happy with the Telugu Desam leaders lodging a complaint with the R&B department, alleging that Dugyala Srinivasa Rao committed irregularities in the road works in the distict, causing a loss of several lakhs of rupees to the government, for which he was "blacklisted" by the government. They also demanded that the government initiate a judicial inquiry or vigilance inquiry into the corruption allegations against the TRS dissident MLA. They also alleged that Duggyala extorting commissions in every work being carried out in his constituency and was blackmailing all those who are opposing his policies.

On another dissident TRS MLA Mandadi Satyanarayana Reddy, the TDP alleged that the veteran politician's name was all too familiar in the urban housing scam in the city. The TD leaders said the region's people had made up their mind to teach the dissident TRS MLAs a lesson in the next elections.

So, the TRS is sitting pretty, with the TD doing all the job of exposing the TRS dissidents!!