Jana, Uttam ‘edgy’ over YSR Congress consolidating position in Nalgonda

                                                                          

An attempt by the YSR Congress Party to consolidate its position in at least five Assembly constituencies in Nalgonda district is said to be the cause for strong reaction of Congress Ministers — K. Jana Reddy and N. Uttam Kumar Reddy — to the visit of party honorary president Y.S. Vijayamma on Thursday.

The senior Ministers, known to be soft spoken and for steering clear of controversies, gave a call to obstruct Ms. Vijayamma’s tour to rain-affected mandals of Nalgonda district on the ground that her party had taken a ‘U’ turn on the statehood issue.

But, the real cause for their call is the systematic bid by YSR Congress leadership to strengthen its base in Huzurnagar, Kodad, Miryalaguda and Nagarjunasagar Assembly constituencies. Mr. Jana Reddy and Mr. Uttam Kumar Reddy represent the Nagarjunasagar and Huzurnagar constituencies respectively.

Congress sources say the four constituencies have sizable population of people who have migrated from Andhra because of abundant water resources and fertile lands.

While Huzurnagar and Kodad are close to Krishna district, Nagarjunasagar abuts Macherla in Guntur district.

YSR Congress leaders claim that Dr. Srikant Reddy is able to increase his support base in Huzurnagar constituency while there are two to three aspirants in Kodad, Miryalaguda and Nagarjunasagar where YSR Congress may field candidates. It is said that Mr. Jana Reddy and Mr. Uttam Kumar Reddy, both aspirants for the Chief Minister’s post once the State is divided, do not want the YSR Congress to spoil their chances. Mr. Jana Reddy on Friday justified the protests against Ms. Vijayamma’s tour. He said as responsible Telangana leaders they wanted to protest against those who were opposing State division and Telangana formation.

The YSRC had gone back on its word after extending its letter of support to Telangana. Hence, people had confronted them democratically, he said.

From Hindu

Jagan faces T-lawyers’ ire

                                                                            

YSR Congress farmers’ wing Prakasam district president Mareddy Subba Reddy on Thursday urged the State government to provide Rs.10,000 per acre as compensation to farmers who had lost their crops due to rain.

After visiting the flood-affected areas, he told reporters here that cotton crop in over 41,000 hectares was the worst- affected in Ongole, Parchur, S.N. Padu, and Addanki Assembly constituencies.

The name of the tiller should be included instead of landlord during the enumeration of losses, he said. Party SC Cell president Kancharla Sudhakar was present.

It was unfortunate that the government had not still cleared the compensation due to farmers who had lost their crops due to Neelam cyclone. It had also failed to come out with concrete steps to mitigate the suffering of farmers, he opined.

YSRC to pressure UPA govt. for farm loan waiver

                                                                                        

The YSRC honorary president Y.S. Vijayalakshmi on Monday promised to exert pressure on the UPA government for waiver of agricultural loans in the cyclone-affected areas. She visited farm fields ravaged by floods and the affected victims at Narayanapuram in Unguturu and Duvva in Tanuku mandal of of West Godavari district. She also visited Goteru and Kanteru drains which caused floods, submerging farm fields downstream in view of their poor condition.

She waded through the flood water to reach out to the victims and lend them a patient hearing at Narayanapuram. The affected farmers showed her bundles of damaged paddy plants with a request for help. She observed that Tanuku and Achanta mandals bore the brunt of the cyclonic ravages on a large scale.

Ms. Vijayalakshmi said it was highly impossible for the farmers to bail themselves out from the debt burden in the face of extensive damage the floods have caused to their farm fields. It was a fit case for waiver of farm loans as such a measure also would provide a soothing effect to the victims in real terms, she said. Ms. Vijayalakshmi appealed to the government to take up steps to procure discoloured paddy from the growers in the flood-hit areas by relaxing procurement norms, keeping in mind the scale of devastation. She said the Nandamuru (new) aqueduct across the Yarrakalva, constructed with Rs. 450 crore during the period of her husband late Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy as Chief Minister, remained useless.

Consequently, thousands of acres of farm fields downstream Bhimavaram and those located in the upper reaches up to Nallajarla became vulnerable to floods every time, she said.

From Hindu

Congress resents Jagan’s remarks on Sonia

                                                                            

Congress leaders on Sunday took serious exception to what they called ‘intemperate’ and ‘objectionable’ remarks by YSR Congress chief Y.S.Jaganmohan Reddy against their leaders Sonia Gandhi and Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy.

Referring to the ‘Samaikya Sankharavam’ public meeting by the YSR Congress here on Saturday, Congress leaders found it strange that Mr. Jagan chose to target the Chief Minister, who was opposing bifurcation of the State tooth and nail.

Congress MP from Vijayawada Lagadapati Rajagopal and Rajya Sabha member V.Hanumantha Rao hit out at the Kadapa MP. Mr. Rajagopal accused Mr. Jagan of eyeing the Chief Minister’s seat by taking up the slogan of united Andhra Pradesh.

Accusing the YSR Congress chief of entering into an understanding with the Congress leadership, Mr. Rajagopal said the former has become an adopted son of the ruling party.

The fact that the YSRCP leader did not utter a word against the TRS only proved that the two parties were part of a deal to back the Congress.

Mr. Hanumantha Rao on the other hand sought to know why Mr. Jagan kept silent when his father had encouraged leaders from Telangana to raise the demand for separate State.

At the fag end of the press conference addressed by Mr. Rajagopal, a remark made by him against representatives of a Telugu channel and newspaper owned by Mr. Jagan led to arguments.

From Hindu

Jagan seeks support of regional parties to stall Telangana Bill

                                                                            

YSR Congress president Jaganmohan Reddy on Saturday urged leaders of the Trinamool Congress, the AIADMK and the Biju Janata Dal not to see the process of bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh as an isolated case and ensure that the Telangana Bill is stalled in Parliament.

The Congress was bent on dividing the State for the sake of “votes and seats.” By maintaining silence on the developments in A.P., they would give scope to the Congress for division of West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Punjab since it was votes alone that mattered for the ruling party.

Asserting that his party would win 30 Lok Sabha seats in the coming elections, Mr. Jagan declared that it would support a government that was committed to a united A.P. “We will emerge as a force that can have its say in national politics,” he said, addressing a public meeting at the Lal Bahadur stadium in support of a united State here against the backdrop of the Centre fast-tracking the bifurcation process.

His statement assumes significance as it runs contrary to criticism by the Telugu Desam and others that his party would sail with the Congress after the 2014 polls.

Mr. Jagan launched a frontal attack on Congress president Sonia Gandhi, accusing her of dividing the State to make her son Rahul Gandhi Prime Minister by garnering more seats from A.P. “She is dividing the State for her son’s political future and playing with the future of our children,” he said.Referring to the Centre’s decision to make Hyderabad the joint capital for 10 years, he wondered why Seemandhra people were being asked to leave after a decade. “Ms. Gandhi married Rajiv Gandhi in 1969, took Indian citizenship 30 years ago in 1983. How will she respond if a Bill is introduced in Parliament asking the people born abroad to leave the country? This is the question being asked by the people who have an attachment with Hyderabad/Telangana for six decades,” he said.

In his 45-minute-long speech, Mr. Jagan dwelt at length on how the Seemandhra region would suffer in irrigation, education and employment and lose its say in Hyderabad. He equated the party’s fight against bifurcation with a struggle between ‘Delhi’s arrogance’ and ‘Telugu self-respect.’ It was aimed at countering the Congress’ designs to weaken a strong State like Andhra Pradesh which accounts for third highest number (42) of Lok Sabha seats.

From Hindu