Cong. campaign cassette focusses on plight of ryots, weavers

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, JULY 3. The Congress campaign cassette for the Panchayat elections, released by the APCC president, Mr.M. Satyanarayana Rao, here on Tuesday, focusses on the plight of farmers, weavers and other rural folk on account what was sought to projected the ``pro-urban and pro-elite'' policies of the Chandrababu Naidu Government.

The half an hour video film, to be screened all over the State by the party's campaign managers, depicts the lathicharge on agitators against the power tariff hike at Basheerbagh in the city and seeks to contrast it with the Jallianwalabagh incident of pre-independence times.

The campaign film is laced with video clippings of ``police high- handedness'' on Anganwadi workers, the downcast farmers desperately waiting for buyers of their produce at market yards, the suicides by weavers of Sircilla and the sale of infant children.

In the opening scene, the APCC president appeals to the people to realise that ``it is a testing time'' as the six-year rule of Mr. Chandrababu Naidu brought misery to almost all sections of society. In pursuit of the goal of Swarnandhra Pradesh, Mr. Naidu converted the State into ``Runandhra Pradesh,'' Mr. Rao says.

The next frame shows that the revenue receipts of the State went up from Rs 11,193.3 crores in 1994 to Rs 22,406.02 crores and that even the public debt too went up from Rs 11,670.73 crores to Rs 40,000.83 crores. The State is being led to bankruptcy, the unseen commentator bemoans quoting liberally from the reports of the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India.

An extensive footage on the use of water cannon and lathicharge on demonstrating Anganwadi workers and the police firing on the anti-power tariff agitators was inserted in support of the charge that the Government is crushing ``mass movements with the might of the police.''

Scenes of women demolishing arrack outlets during the anti-liquor stir and contrasting picture of flourishing liquor shops now were added to illustrate the point that the ``Government betrayed women after the electoral interests of the ruling party were served.''

Talking to presspersons after the screening of the video film, the PCC president and the leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP), Dr.Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, exuded confidence that the party would fare well and win majority of ZPTCs and MPTCs.

Mr. Satyanarayana Rao said there were some irritants in seat adjustments with the Left parties ``but a good beginning has been made and it will work well in future.''

Dr. Rajasekhara Reddy reiterated that the party's stand that free power supply to farmers was feasible and alleged that the Chief Minister, Mr.N. Chandrababu Naidu,``continues to make odious comparisons with Congress-ruled States like Karnataka.'' Dr. Reddy said the Chief Minister was not prepared for a public debate with the Congress ``as he is unable to counter the way the Congress reasoned its stand on free power and other contentious issues concerning the farmers.'' The cassette was brought out by Mr. U. Arun Kumar, AICC member.

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