Asserting that the Congress will come out stronger after the organisational polls, senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Chinta Mohan has underscored the need for coming together of the Congress and the major Left parties to defeat the “communal” Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at the Centre.
Addressing the media here on Saturday, he said: “This was the wish of none other than Marxist stalwarts Harkishen Singh Surjeet and Jyoti Basu to keep the BJP at bay.”
After the churn within the Congress, the party would emerge stronger and form the next government at the Centre as the saffron party was losing ground even in Gujarat, the Congress Working Committee Special invitee opined. As many as 9,000 delegates from across the country, including 350 Pradesh Congress members from Andhra Pradesh, are set elect the party president on October 17 in a transparent and democratic manner, he said.
Bharat Jodo Yatra
''The ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra of party leader Rahul Gandhi is getting a tremendous response from all sections of people whom he is striving to unite in the larger interest of the country'', Dr. Chinta Mohan said, adding that on the other hand, the BJP was dividing the people on religious lines to further its sectarian agenda. The Andhra Pradesh leg of the padayatra for the sake of the nation's bright future would begin from October 17, he added.
The toiling masses were vexed with the “corporate-friendly” Narendra Modi government, which brought misery on them by imposing a heavy dose of taxes pushing the prices of all commodities up, including fuel, even while extending a series of concessions to big corporates, he alleged. As a result, 60 crore people in the country, including one crore in the State, starved without food, he alleged, while referring to Global Hunger Index. The Congress after coming to power would reduce the price of cooking gas to ₹500 per cylinder from the very high ₹1,200 and evolve policies to empower the poor people, he added.
Renaming NTRUHS
Faulting the YSR Congress Party government in the State for renaming the NTR University of Health after Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, Dr. Chinta Mohan said Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy should emulate his Tamil Nadu counterpart M.K. Stalin, who had exhibited political sagacity by not going for any such renaming spree in the neighbouring State. Education had become a big casualty for students in the State as teachers were forced to do more of non-academic work such as distribution of books, uniforms, shoes and belt in a staggered manner, he said.
He also said that the pollution level was very high in the Muthukur area in SPSR Nellore district with a high concentration of coal-based thermal power plants, which posed a big health hazard to over two lakh people. Roads in and around Nellore were also in a very bad condition putting to test the driving skills of motorists, he added.
