Nellore: The Congress will announce its list of candidates for the ensuing Assembly and Parliament elections in Andhra Pradesh by March 8 or 9. PCC president N. Raghuveera Reddy disclosed this while speaking to media persons at Nellore on Sunday. He said they have received 1,300 applications, including 1,100 for Assembly and 200 for Parliament and the final list will be released after the scrutiny by the screening committee.
Taking serious view of the YSRC protest against the Congress bus yatra at Venkatagiri in Nellore district on Saturday, he suspected the role of the Telugu Desam also, pointing to the failure of police to prevent the incident.
Demanding a clarification from government, he alleged that both Jagan and TD have been considering the state as their property and oppose other parties doing politics in AP. “The incident is a conspiracy by both the YSR Congress and the TD,” the senior Congress leader asserted.
Recalling that both YSRC chief Jagan and YSRC in-charge for Venkatagiri, Anam Ramanarayana Reddy have their roots in the Congress, he questioned the rationale behind the attack, maintaining that they are scared at the possibility of the Congress strengthening itself in the state. He alleged that Ramanarayana Reddy had instigated YSRC cadre against the Congress to showcase his loyalty to Jagan even after levelling serious charges against him in the past.
He said that the Congress too had staged a protest over special category status during the PM’s recent visit but not interfered with the meeting.
Mr Raghuveera Reddy demanded to know the reasons for the YSR Congress not stopping the Prime Minister during his visit to AP even after his outright rejection of special category status.
Ruling out an alliance with any party in Andhra Pradesh, he said. “We have no alliance with the CPM in Kerala but we are sailing with the Left parties in Kolkata. We had a tie up with the TD in Telangana but it is not necessary that we follow the same rule everywhere,” Mr Raghuveera Reddy said, responding to a question.
Referring to various poll related surveys, he said that 74 percent of people in AP are in favour of Rahul Gandhi becoming Prime Minister and the graph of Narendra Modi is down to 12 percent from 75 percent before the 2014 polls.
He said that both the YSR Congress and TDP are offering sops to the electorate because they lack confidence in their victory.
Claiming that the poor and downtrodden are with the Congress and there is a silent revolution in favour of the Congress, he compared the situation to the resounding victory the Congress registered in 1978 despite many stalwarts deserting the party.
Former union ministers Pallam Raju and Panabaka Lakshmi, manifesto committee chairman Bapiraju and PCC president Panabaka Krishnaiah were also present among others.
