YSR slams Naidu

MEDAK:The Congress party gave a call to its cadre to oppose and expose the lapses in chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s pet programme Janmabhoomi.
In a shrewd political move to substantiate the Congress charge that there are widespread lapses in the implementation of the programme, Congress Legislature Party leader Y S Rajasekhara Reddy on Sunday paid a surprise visit of the incomplete Janmabhoomi works in Kokkonada village, in Mulug mandal of Gajwel constituency in Medak district.
Incidentally, it was in Kokkonda that Naidu launched the Janmabhoomi with much fanfare on January 1, 1997. Naidu had made four promises to the villagers, namely to set up a 30-bed hospital, a 32-kv electric sub station, upgrading the primary school to high school and a mini bus station.
However, all the promises made by him more than four years ago have not been fulfilled till date.
Reddy visited all the four locations and found that there is only a half whitewashed school building without any proper facilities.
There is no trace of a hospital and only a skeletal substation with no transformer.
He lambasted Naidu for “cheating’’ the people.
Reddy read out from a board located in the middle of the village detailing the various works taken up under Janmabhoomi with the break up of the expenditure.
Reddy’s inquiry revealed that villagers had made no contributions.
He also went to the Kokkonda-Meenajipeta ‘metal road’ completed with a cost of Rs 25 lakh, which is yet to be completed.
The Congress leader said the work done could not have cost more that Rs 6 lakh.
Addressing a public meeting later, he accused Naidu of subverting the tender system by giving works on nomination basis to the TDP cadre, encouraging them to develop a ‘vested’ interest in executing the works.
He said Naidu had the vain hope that the TDP cadre would ‘help’ the party during elections.
He criticised Naidu for failing to fulfil his promises even after 16 rounds of Janmabhoomi and also lacking the sentimental attachment with Kokkonda village where it was launched.
He added that the programme had diluted the effective functioning of the elected representatives of the local bodies.
Later addressing a press conference, Reddy said the Congress as a responsible opposition would continue to highlight the lapses in the programme and would also raise the issue in the Assembly.
He ridiculed the charge of the chief minister that Congress leaders were used to living in air-conditioned rooms and did not visit villages.
He added that the Janmabhoomi logo was similar to that of the World Bank logo.