'BJP destroying Gandhian legacy'

GUNTUR: The Congress leaders on Wednesday paid tributes to Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi on his birth anniversary by cleansing his statues with milk.
The Congress activists, led by Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) secretary L Appi Reddy, conducted ''Skheerabhishekam'' on Gandhiji''s statues at Pattabhipuram, AT Agraharam and Koritapadu in the city to protest the policies of the BJP-led government at the Centre and the TDP government in state, which, they said, go against the grain of Mahatma''s principles.
Addressing workers, Appi Reddy said that the Centre and the AP government have besmirched the image of Mahatma, who was a source of inspiration to the whole world.
He charged the BJP government of adopting an anti-minority attitude, which was anti-thetical to Gandhiji''s priciples. He said that the recent incidents of communal violence in Gujarat brought disrepute to India. He said that the TDP also had a share in the BJP''s misdemeanours as it extended unequivocal support to latter.
He criticised the state government for weakening the local government by appointing nodal officers thereby shattering Gandhiji''s dreams of a ''gram swarajya''.
He said that the privatisation policies of both the state and central governments have rendered lakhs of people jobless in the country leading to social unrest.
The present rulers should own the guilt for mortgaging the sovereignty of the nation to the multinationals, he said.
In a separate meeting held at Congress office, the District Congress Committee president Rayapati Srinivas paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi. The leaders recalled the courage and spirit of Mahatma.
Former MP Singam Basavapunnaiah, City Congress president P Rajyalakshmi, Youth Congress president Ch Rangareddy, city Youth Congress president G Ravi and several other leaders participated.