It's changing India that greets NRIs coming home

When Surya 'Sue' Patel landed at Mumbai airport, she stepped out like many confident NRIs. Wearing the latest Nike sneakers, a designer pair of jeans and her Rolex watch, she thought she would make her presence felt among her relatives in Mumbai before going on to Gujarat to celebrate Navratri and, later, Diwali.

She trundled her Samsonite bags to be welcomed and hugged by her cousin, Meera. Her cousin fished out a mobile and asked the driver to pick them up. Soon the car arrived - a big, gleaming Mercedes Benz. Sue also noted the Gucci bag she was carrying and her Cartier watch. Sue swallowed hard. Ten years ago, Meera and her husband had a Maruti Esteem and now they have certainly moved up in life, she mused.

As they were negotiating the chaotic traffic towards Bandra and Sion, she saw the same ill-kept, dilapidated buildings and hordes of people all over. Later, they went through the Dharavi, the mother of all slums where the huts had encroached footpaths. She noticed how the lamp posts had been engulfed by hutments with signboards of almost every business from groceries to construction materials. Parked on the road was a long line of handcarts pulled by sweating labourers to transport the merchandise. She thought, "Ugh! Mumbai will never change!"

After an endless half an hour of this depressing travel through the squalor of this slum, they came to a toll bridge. Paying the toll, they entered a new world - open, green and wide. "This is Navi Mumbai," said Meera. "We moved here four years ago from our flat in Dadar." Climbing a flyover, they saw new, high-rise buildings, banks, smart restaurants and spanking shopping malls ahead.

Gliding over a four-lane Palm Beach Road, lined with date palms in the centre and verdant plants around them, they came to a high-rise complex called NRI Colony. A gated estate, it had a small smart shopping complex. The watchman waved them in and they went up to the penthouse where Meera's husband, Rasik, and her children, Ela and Vipul, greeted her. The luxuriously decorated penthouse boasted of original paintings and Swaroski crystal. As she took it all in and swallowed hard.

She thought, "Umm, making money was India's first challenge, now it's how to spend it. Seems they are getting plenty of help in this direction as the super luxury goods manufacturers are moving in quickly to get a slice of the market."

Wearing trendy Swatches, the children were soon playing with the latest Sony PlayStation on a huge Samsung plasma screen. Rasik was getting out his Callaway golf set for the weekend round of golf. It seems Meera was spoilt for choice of designer wear, both Western and Indian - Armani, Escada, Moschino, Hermes, Prada, Fendi et all was here. It was the same story for Western designer men's wear and jewellery.

After luxury brands rented outlets in the shopping arcades of five star hotels, they spawned a demand for luxury shopping malls that are due to be opened soon in Delhi and Mumbai. Super luxury cars like Bentley, Rolls Royce and Ferrari are available in India.

On observing the general affluence, Sue said she was happy Rasik was doing well and wondered what the secret of his success was. "Simple," he answered, "I invested in stocks, mutual funds and real estate and all these have gone up many times in the last seven-eight years. The stock market has shot up from 6,000 to almost 18,000 points now; and the real estate is also up by over four times. So after I cashed in on some profits and sold my Dadar flat, I moved here for a better quality of life." But how come they moved into this NRI Colony? Not a problem as they paid the going rates and many Indians had moved in, replied Rasik.

The hi-tech industries and the back office operations of major companies and big banks are located here, an airport is being planned at New Panvel and a bridge linking Navi Mumbai to the city centre is being built. New export processing zones are due to come up and going to the city centre takes 60-90 minutes depending on the traffic and Pune is just three hours away by the super highway.

Sue cringed inside thinking about the 'presents' she had brought for Meera and her family: a perfume bottle she got as a freebie from the store for buying something else, a cut price pair of jeans for Rasik and digital watches from Hong Kong and Chinese toys from Wal-Mart for the children. After this reality check, she decided to let her presents remain in her suitcases.

Fact Sheet: YSR pushes Sonia to corner!

After making tall promises to people like Rs 2 a kg rice scheme, pavala vaddi to farmers on crop loans and construction of houses, Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy is looking up to Sonia Gandhi to provide required financial assistance to fund these schemes.

YSR knows that it is important not just for him, but also for Sonia Gandhi to see that the Congress comes back to power and this time, it should be without the support of the Left parties. So, the onus of ensuring the victory is on Sonia and Manmohan Singh and therefore, they should take up the responsibility of funding the new schemes in order to win back the confidence of the people.

YSR is learnt to have argued with his Cabinet colleagues that it was he who had to take on the entire responsibility of bringing the Congress to power in the last Assembly elections, besides contributing a major share in the Congress strength in Lok Sabha. Though he had been implementing free farm power supply scheme, the UPA government did not help him in any way and he had to manage the resources on his own. This time, the Congress desperately needs a repeat performance and if that has to happen, the UPA government should grant funds for the new schemes like Rs 2 a kg rice scheme and pavala vaddi, he pointed out.

In a way, it is an embarrassing position for Sonia Gandhi. She has to concede YSR's demand or face a difficult situation in the elections!!

YSR to answer all Babu's questions

Yes chief minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy is bracing himself up to answer all the issues raised by his bete noire and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu. Rajasekhar Reddy will address a press conference on Tuesday to clarify his position and to take Chandrababu Naidu to political task.

The other day Chandrababu Naidu turned a mathematician and announced that Rajasekhar Reddy had amassed wealth as much as Rs 29,784 crore during the last three and a half years. He said YSR has been getting bribes at the rate of Rs 1 crore every hour, 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. Chandrababu Naidu has also given a call to party activists to stop the State government for auctioning government lands. He warned that industrialists would be buying such lands at their own risk.

Rajasekhar Reddy who has been silently observing Chandrababu Naidu's remarks and his political tantrums has decided to put all allegations to nought. So he has decided to address a press conference wherein he will clarify his position and the Congress leadership backed by officials are preparing a strong defence to put Chandrababu Naidu in the dock.

Let's wait and watch the political drama unfolding on Tuesday.

22 Bangladeshis arrested in Hyderabad

Hyderabad, Oct 8 (IANS) The Hyderabad police Monday arrested 22 Bangladeshi nationals, including two women, for staying here for several years after illegally infiltrating into India.

The police commissioner's task force (West Zone) conducted raids in Jhirra, Murad Nagar and Zeba Bagh areas in Asif Nagar division and Mir Alam Mandi area in South Zone and arrested 22 Bangladeshi nationals amid a terror alert in the city, the police said.

"During the investigations it was revealed that these illegal immigrants entered into India by crossing the border near Raj Sahi, a Bangladeshi border town, and Boghkalan, Musheerabad, an Indian border town by paying money to the brokers," said a statement from the police commissioner's office.

Some of the illegal immigrants had come to India recently. Some even obtained passports, ration cards, voter's identity cards and PAN cards by furnishing fake documents. They also opened accounts in various banks and were running the business of making bags and suitcases.

Three of those arrested had married local women and have children, while two had crossed over with their Bangladeshi wives, said the statement.

The arrests came amid the high alert sounded last Friday following a tip-off about four suicide bombers, suspected to be Bangladeshi nationals.

Also, the city police probing the bombings at the historic Mecca Masjid on May 18 and twin blasts of Aug 25 claim that the Bangladesh-based terror group Harkat-ul-Jihad-e-Islami (HUJI) was behind the terror strikes.

The blast at the mosque killed nine. while the twin blasts at a park and a popular food joint claimed 44 lives.

The police had last month arrested a Bangladeshi youth and his sister, staying illegally, in connection with the Aug 25 blasts.

The police believe that Abdul Shahid alias Bilal, a native of Hyderabad and an alleged operative of HUJI, masterminded the blasts and carried them out with the assistance of some Bangladeshis and local youths.

On the basis of a confessional statement by Shahid's brother Abdul Majeed, the police last week claimed that HUJI carried out the blasts under instruction from Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI). Shahid is believed to be in Bangladesh.

He is also suspected to have masterminded the suicide attack at the police commissioner's task force office here in 2005. One policeman was killed in the blast carried out by a suspected Bangladeshi suicide bomber.

Fact Sheet: TD cadre not believing Babu!

It is not the voter who is not believing Telugu Desam supremo and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu these days. Guess who are not believing what Chandrababu Naidu says? None other than the Telugu Desam cadre. Chandrababu Naidu had opposed several populist schemes when he was in power for nine long years. He conducted training classes for the party cadre on several occasions to drive home his point that the populist schemes which then Opposition Congress was promising were simply impracticable.

Now that he himself is in the opposition, Chandrababu Naidu feels that these populist schemes, which he once opposed, are quite practicable. This he learnt after the Congress government successfully implemented them.

So Chandrababu Naidu's promises -- as many as a dozen and a half -- have failed to go well into the cadre. The party activists are looking at Chandrababu Naidu with suspicion. How could a person who once opposed is now supporting the very things. Sources point out that Chandrababu Naidu will first convince his party workers before going to the voters with the populist agenda. Let's wait and see how far Chandrababu Naidu will succeed in this Herculean task.

Convincing voters is an easy task because of the most of them are illiterate and act like herds. But the TD activists are an enlightened lot now that Chandrababu Naidu had conducted several training classes for them with experts from various fields.

Fact Sheet: YSR uses Kaka against VH!

Chief Minister Dr Y S Rajasekhar Reddy is trying all his tricks to prevent Rajya Sabha member V Hanumantha Rao from becoming the Pradesh Congress Committee president.

YSR came to know that Hanumantha Rao is playing his BC card to impress upon the newly appointed AICC incharge of AP affairs Veerappa Moily (who also happens to be a BC) to become the PCC president. If VH is given the post, he would certainly be like a thorn in the flesh for YSR and therefore, the latter is desperate in preventing VH.

So, he cleverly used the good offices of veteran Congress MP and Congress Working Committee member G Venkatswamy and also that of former Chief Minister N Janardhan Reddy with the high command to scuttle the chances of Hanumantha Rao. Both the MPs told Madam Sonia Gandhi that VH would not be in a position to lead the entire team of Congress leaders because of his inconsistent stand. If the high command wants only a BC leader to be the PCC president and not a Mala (Mallu Ravi) or Madiga (Nandi Yellaiah), the chance could be given to D Srinivas, who led the party to success in 2004 elections, they told her. Sonia did not make any comment and reserved her decision, New Delhi sources say.

Fact Sheet: Satyam takes govt for a ride!

Satyam group's Ramalinga Raju is one of the few industrialists in the State who could continue to get patronage from the State government, irrespective of the party in power – whether it was Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam or Y S Rajasekhar Reddy's Congress.

Raju, who is the richest industrialist in the State, has taken the government for a ride by entering into an agreement with it on running the Emergency Medicare Services by name "108." Though it is an excellent scheme providing emergency medical facilities like ambulance service with sofisticated equipment, it is said to be one of the schemes of Raju to avoid payment of income tax to the government.

According to sources, Raju had to pay highest amount of income tax (about Rs 45 crore) in a single year because of the huge profits Satyam made a couple of years ago. To avoid this, Raju started the Emergency Medicare Service, signed an MoU with the government to run it as a charitable and service organisation and got exemption from the income tax. Above all, he got the government land at a concessional rate on the city outskirts to run this project, employed staff at huge salaries and gained all the benefits associated with it, apart from avoiding the income tax.

After getting the benefits, Raju quietly handed over the project to the State government and retained a nominal percentage in it. YSR, as is his won't, named it after "Rajiv Gandhi." The project will continue to be run by the Satyam group only, but for the name and the State government's emblem. Two birds at one shot!!

Lok Satta has Veerappa Moily's support!!

The newly appointed All India Congress Committee incharge for Andhra Pradesh affairs, Veerappa Moily might not know many leaders in the State Congress, but he certainly has friends in the Opposition parties, including Yerran Naidu of Telugu Desam and Jayaprakash Narayana of Lok Satta.

In fact, Jayaprakash Narayana has been a close associate of Veerappa Moily for quite a long time. He was a member of the Administrative Reforms Commission, of which Moily was the chairman. After launching the political party, JP quit the Commission, but has been maintaining good relationship with Moily. And Moily too had extended his support to Lok Satta party and described it as a fresh air in the present murky political atmosphere.

Now that Veerappa Moily would be coming to Andhra Pradesh quite often, the Congress leaders are worried whether he would continue his relationship with JP. However, Lok Satta is not a force to reckon with so far and it is unlikely that Moily-JP friendship has any bearing on the Congress prospects in the next elections.

Behind The Scene: People, rain and Congress

The main Opposition Telugu Desam has been announcing a series of pre-poll sops, some of which it had opposed while in power. The Congress too has announced a number of sops.

The TD is not worried about the sops announced by the Congress. After all it believes, like the Congress too, that people take such promises with a pinch of salt. But what is worrying the Telugu Desam leadership is the strong belief that is growing in the public that Congress rule means good rains.

After seven drought years in Telugu Desam's nine years of rule, the State is witnessing fourth consecutive year of good rains. The Congress is praying the Almighty that one more year of good rain and this will put the divine seal on the people's belief that there will be good monsoon only during the Congress regime.

This is precisely the factor why Chandrababu Naidu has been coming out with more sops, though the ruling Congress has already stopped making them. For Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy, it's the rains and not the sops that will tilt the poll balance. Opposition leader and Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu knows this and is going full hammer and tongs on the Congress government raking up issues like corruption. But people do not take corruption charges seriously, because they know where there are politicians there's bound to be some financial irregularities.

Practical Jokes On TV Irritating All

A college going girl waits at a bus stop. A man acts like a mad one and revolves around the girl. The girl gets irritated. As he is mad, the people around also take that easy although they shout for sometime. After looking at the girl's disgust, the mad man laughs and shows a cameraman shooting that from behind a tree.

Similarly, a man keeps on frightening the people shouting 'bomb'. After a while the man calls all the people who he frightened and shows a cameraman behind a bush shooting this practical joke.

Some TV shows are irritating the people with this concept they have chosen. ZEE Telugu's 'Time Pass', POGO's 'Just for laughs gags' and many other programs of other channels are of same genre. They are the shows where people are teased practically in public places and that will be recorded and shown for TV viewers for fun. Although they sound interesting for viewers, the people those get harassed or disturbed will get irritated that they go to the extent of beating the TV crew at some instances.

But still those shows are getting good ERP Ratings all over.

YSR vs Babu: Who's worrying whom

Yes, it all depends on which side of the fence one is in. But leading Telugu daily Eenadu believes that Telugu Desam supremo and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu is causing troubles to Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy and the Congress through the TD's pre-poll populist schemes. The TD schemes have become a worrying factor for the Congress government, it screams.

The actual scenario is that both the Congress and the Telugu Desam are worried about the outcome of the May 2009 Assembly elections. These polls are going to be crucial. For the Telugu Desam, a defeat in the May 2009 polls means a long wait to try luck for power in May 2014 elections. By then there may be many changes in the Telugu Desam, which is virtually depending on the leadership of Chandrababu Naidu. There's no alternative leadership in the Telugu Desam. TD leaders may not wait for that long without power so there's chances of the party being affected badly through largescale exodus of senior leaders.

And for the Congress, a defeat in the polls means that its populist schemes and irrigation projects have failed to yield results. The general trend in the country is that people are giving second chance to political parties. So a party ruling for 10 consecutive years has become a sort of norm in the country of late. If Congress loses, it simply means that it has failed to govern well and people have not given it a second chance, though it has become a norm.

In reality both YSR and NCB are a worried lot. But trumpet blowers see otherwise and blow their trumpets in favour of their respective leaders.

Opinion: Sunitha Williams Hype When Not Indian!

I am a Software Engineer working in USA .I am an adrant reader of great Andhra news. I really like the positive criticism you give to the various public issues. I have been seeing something in the News papers Lately, the Hype created around Sunitha Williams, First women in space.

Let's get into the back ground of Sunitha Williams. Deepak Pandya and his Slovenian-American wife, Bonnie, are the parents of American astronaut Sunitha Williams. Only Sunitha's Father is Indian and he left India long back. I am happy if we appreciated Sunitha for her effort , but the problem i see with the Media is they have made Sunitha Williams a super hero among Indians? , projecting her as the icon of india. How can she be an indian when her Mother is not an Indian and she is not born in India. If we start considering her Indian Origin then i think we can find lot of great people someway linked to the Indian Origin. How does it make India proud by giving pivotal importance to these people on their trips to India. Even the mother land of Sunitha Williams , USA is not carried away by her achievements.

Instead the press should be doing a better job by highlighting the fact that there are a lot of talented Scientists and Engineers, working in ISRO and other Government organizations who are under paid and over worked and media should stress the role Indian governement should play is to encourage these people to reach unfathomable depths of success, instead media and the indian government is carried away with the euphoria of Sunitha's achievement.What good does Sunitha visiting President of India or meeting some kids help? It's high time for Indian press to play a positive role for the development of nation and not to manufacture consent.

Raja
rajavreddy@gmail.com

Ponting used 'harsh words', complains Dhoni

Hyderabad (IANS) - There seems to be no end to the slanging match between Indian and Australian teams during the ongoing seven game one-day series.

Though the third match played here at Rajiv Gandhi stadium did not witness any unsavoury incidents on the field like in the Kochi one-dayer, Indian captain M.S. Dhoni alleged that his Australian counterpart Ricky Ponting used some harsh words.

To a query at the post-match press conference, Dhoni said he complained to the match referee against some 'harsh words' used by Ponting during the Indian innings. He, however, refused to elaborate on what those 'harsh words' were.

Both S. Sreesanth and Harbhajan Singh were cool on the field unlike in Kochi as they were asked by the team management to control themselves on the field.

During the Kochi one-dayer, Sreesanth had entered into a heated duel with Andrew Symonds and Brad Haddin.

Harbhajan Singh had also stood mid-wicket after his dismissal to argue with the Australians and had pointed his bat before being veteran umpire Steve Bucknor intervened.

Ponting, who returned to the side after missing the first two games due to injury, had said Thursday that his team was not worried by the new aggressive look of the Indian team. He had remarked that Indians were trying to put up a brave face.

The Aussie skipper had taken potshots at Harbhajan Singh for alleging that Australians used vulgar language against him during the second one-dayer.

'He (Harbhajan) has plenty to say on the field and then whenever someone says something back to him he is the first one to run away from it,' was how Ponting had reacted to the Indian spinner's allegation.

Dhoni: ODI Series Has Become Tougher

The ongoing one-day international (ODI) series against Australia has become tougher and all batsmen need to chip in, said Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni after his team's 47 run loss in the third one-dayer here Friday.

He, however, refused to lay the entire blame on the batsmen, saying the team needed to improve in all departments in the remaining matches.

'We knew that this series is tough and it has now become tougher. Australians now have an upper hand,' admitted the wicket keeper batsman at a post-match press conference. The visitors have taken a 2-0 lead in the seven match series. The first one-dayer at Bangalore was washed out.

Dhoni, who led India to Twenty20 World Cup victory in South Africa last month, said the team bowled well Friday with only 30 runs being scored in the last five overs, but the failure to get a good start during the reply mounted pressure on other batsmen.

'All batsmen need to chip in. We need to get a good start. This is the key. A good initial partnership can help the batsmen coming down the order to manage a seven to 7.5 run-rate in the last overs,' he said.

Dhoni said had he been there for a few more overs with Yuvraj Singh, the situation would have been different. 'Yuvraj is disappointed that the team could not win despite his second good knock here,' he said.

The vice captain scored 121 runs, his second century in as many matches at Rajiv Gandhi stadium here. He had scored 103 in the match against South Africa in November 2005 but the visitors won the match by five wickets.

On former captain Sourav Ganguly being dropped for today's match, Dhoni said he was not 100 percent fit and that the team did not want to take a risk.

Australian skipper Ricky Ponting said he was happy with the way his team was playing. 'But we can't afford to rest on that. We have to keep working hard as there is always room for improvement,' he told the press conference.

'Things have worked out fine so far. Batting was good on a low and slow track like this. I thought we batted really well to post 290,' he said but felt the Australians needed to improve their fielding.

'On the bowling front, (Mitchell) Johnson was terrific, Brett (Lee) got his wickets up front while Stuart (Clarke) has been reliable,' he said.

Man of the match Andrew Symonds said the track required the batsmen to be a bit patient. 'The track kept a little low and it was a bit difficult to score. We tried to get partnerships going. We thought getting to 290 was a good effort,' he said.

Chiranjeevi gives breather for Cong, TD

The "October 2 deadline" has passed and there's no news of film actor Chiranjeevi announcing a new political party in the near future. Though this is not something good news for lakhs of his followers and those belonging to his social group, the ruling Congress and the main Opposition Telugu Desam are a happy lot. The TRS too has taken a breather. But the baron of a media group, who has been thinking of a third alternative force in the State with the film actor in the lead, is also said to be unhappy over the "continued prolonged" delay by Chiranjeevi in announcing his own political party.

According to sources, the film actor is right now not keen on forming a new political party. He wants to study the political situation and then come out with his future plans. Moreover Chiranjeevi has still much of his film career left and if he jumps into politics, he has to leave the film industry once and for all. The film actor is weighing all the pros and cons before coming to a conclusion.

The Congress and the TD are happy over the delay. A delay of a few more months means that there will be no Chiranjeevi political party for the next Assembly polls. With hardly 18 months left for the next polls, the film actor has to announce the party now or wait for yet another poll due for 2014. But it will be too late. The new political party has to settle down and it needs at least one year. It took nine years for NTR to drive his nascent Telugu Desam to victory in 1982-83. If Chiranjeevi does not come out with the announcement before February 2008, it means that there will be a direct fight between the Congress and the Telugu Desam in May 2009 polls.

It's ticket borrowing time in Hyderabad

Borrowing money has taken a back seat at least for now. The latest craze that has caught up with people in Hyderabad, particularly the cricket buffs, is borrowing tickets. Yes tickets to witness the one day international match between India and Australia at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad.

Everyone from top bureaucract to the attendant level and from ministers to corporators every one in the city is after the cricket match tickets. With the police and the influential knocking away the tickets put on sale, the demand for tickets has gone up. Even journalists are seen asking for tickets from their friends in politics and bureaucracy.

And for those expert in black marketing, they are the happiest lot. A Rs 250 worth ticket is being sold for Rs 3000 and the Rs 1000 one for Rs 6,000. The craze is being built up. It all depends on the clouds. It they burst, the match may be interrupted robbing enthusiasm from the fans. But the black marketers stand to benefit anyway.

Baba's miracle fails to click

Sri Satya Sai Baba all of a sudden announced that he would be visible in the moon. The announcement came at around 5.00 pm on Thursday. He said his Vishwaroopam will appear on the moon between 7.00 pm and 7.30 pm. Thousands of his followers including those who do not have faith in him throned the Puttaparthi airport to witness the event. But the event did not take place as the sky was overcast with clouds. Sri Satya Sai Baba returned to his ashramam leaving his devotees disappointed.

The 82-year-old Baba's sudden announcement took everyone in the State by surprise. Mediapersons and TV channels too rushed to the spot to witness the rare event. Some TV channels announced that there will be a live telecast.

The rush was so heavy at the airport that even the convoy of the Baba was caught in traffic jam.

Fact Sheet: Son trouble for PJR again

Khairatabad legislator and dissident Congress leader P Janardhan Reddy's son P Vishnuvardhan Reddy is once again in the news for the wrong reasons. After the street fight between him and Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy's brother at Jubilee Hills a couple of months ago, Vishnuvardhan Reddy got involved in a fight at the Imax Theatre on Thursday. The police booked a case against him.

Looks like the son trouble continues to haunt the Congress legislator who is fighting openly against the Chief Minister and his policies which PJR believes are detrimental to the interests of Telangana.

Even before PJR came out of the shock of Jubilee Hills trouble, the Imax fight has further created a dent in his public image. The Congress MLA was just getting a breather with the resignation of APCC chief K Keshava Rao and change of guard in AICC supervision in the State Congress. Thursday's trouble has brought issues to square one and PJR has to cleanse the mess to emerge unscatched from the son trouble.

Behind The Scene: Lord Ram everywhere in politics!!

Lord Rama is a part and parcel of our culture and most people christen their children with his name. Large number of politicians including those criticizing carry the name of Rama.

This was pointed out by BJP national vice president M Venkaiah Naidu, who is known for his witty and sharp comments. He said that the actual name of noted atheist and Dravidian movement leader, who was popularly known as Periyar, was EV Ramaswamy Naicker. Referring to the support extended by the Left parties to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister over Rama Sethu issue, he said that one of the CPI-M senior leader got both Seetha and Rama in his name (Seetha Ram Yechuri). Listing out the names with Rama as part, Venkaiah Naidu said, DMK ally and PMK founder Ramdoss and his son Anbumani Ramdoss too has Rama in their names. BSP leader Mayavathi guru is Kanshi Ram, Tamil Nadu's former Chief Minister was MG Ramachandran. Andhra Pradesh state was formed following the sacrifice of Potti Sriramulu. There were Chief Minister's such as Ramakrishna Hegde and N T Rama Rao.

Mahatma Gandhi's last word before death was Hey Ram, Venkaiah Naidu reminded while referring to Gandhiji's faith towards Rama. He said that Mahathma was able to carry entire nation along with him while chanting "Raghupathi raghava rajaram, pathitha pavana seetha ram" during every public meeting. Indirectly pionting to Karunanidhi he suggested the non believers to sit at home if they don't have belief on Rama and perform pooja for themselves.

Fact Sheet: Cong ministers chant NTR mantra!

Now that the talk of mid-term elections to Lok Sabha and if possible to the State Assembly is doing rounds very seriously, the Congress party is trying every strategy to outwit the main opposition party, Telugu Desam.

The Y S Rajasekhar Reddy government, which has beaten the TD in its own coin by announcing Rs 2 a kg rice scheme, is going a step further to take steam out of the main Opposition. The ministers in the Rajasekhar Reddy Cabinet are now showering encomiums on Telugu Desam founder-president and former Chief Minister late N T Rama Rao, describing him as the champion of the poor and a man of principles.

Minister for Housing Botsa Satyanarayana went to the extent of saying that by introducing Rs 2 a kg rice scheme in 1983, NTR heralded a new chapter in the food security in the country and proved himself to be a man of the masses. He said that the present Telugu Desam is no way related to the NTR's party, as present TD president N Chandrababu Naidu had backstabbed his father in law and diluted the latter's populist schemes. "We are bringing back the glorious era of NTR by reviving the Rs 2 a kg rice scheme," he said, in a television interview. So did Roads and Buildings Minister T Jeevan Reddy. He also described NTR as the real leader and a crusader against the poverty.

The Congress leaders are trying to cash in on the image of NTR, which is still a vote-catching thing. By reviving the Rs 2 a kg rice scheme and praising NTR, they are outsmarting the TD!!