Former IRS officer Daggumalla Prasada Rao, who is contesting as the Telugu Desam Party’s MP candidate for Chittoor Lok Sabha constituency (SC), observed that “the house of Indian parliament needs more and more MPs who could participate in the debates on key issues of the nation and at the international affairs as well.”
Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Prasada Rao said that having been a bureaucrat for a longer period, he cherished a strong ambition to find a way to parliament “so that I could participate in key debates, and influence policies and help bring in legislations for a stronger India.”
He deplored that going by observation of parliamentary affairs, “I found that not even 10% of the MPs in parliament is really serious about being a part of the discussions on various national and international issues. Only a negligible percentage of the MPs make decisions and the rest would only just follow through. If we can have at least 50% of the members active, things would be different and we can achieve more dynamic results,” Mr. Prasada Rao said.
The TDP candidate said that the role of an MP was not just limited to the home front alone. “An MP can influence international matters as well. Serious debates on unemployment, agriculture, power reforms, development, and welfare activities are a need of the hour,” he said.
Prasada Rao said that he holds a vision for the Chittoor district’s development. “The region is bestowed with the availability of thousands of acres for setting up of industries. Several industries could not be set up in Bengaluru or Chennai proper owing to certain parameters that some kinds of industries should be located at a specified distance from urban areas. As Chittoor district borders Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, it enjoys the right ambience for industrial development,” he said, adding that if this becomes a reality, thousands of jobs could be created in the region.
The former IRS officer said that he would also seriously consider building new railway lines in Chittoor district and studying the possibilities of setting up new medical colleges and universities.
