Andhra Pradesh Congress condemns TDP yatra to Babli

Hyderabad, Jul 21: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K Rosaiah today led Congress leaders in Andhra Pradesh in condemning the ''political trip'' to the site of the controversial Babli Irrigation Project in Maharashtra by former Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu and his team.While Mr Rosaiah spoke against the trip at the state secretariat, his fellow Congress stalwarts chose separate locations to voice their disapproval of the entire 5-day episode in which Naidu and his team were arrested and then 'deported' to Hyderabad.Talking to mediapersons separately, senior Congress leaders Ponguleti Sudhakar, Bhatti Vikramarka, Palludagu Venkat Rao and Tulsi Reddy said Mr Naidu's visit, deportation and this morning's protest in front of the Gandhi statue in the assembly premises was a drama.They virtually scoffed at the TDP chief's protest over the Babli issue, saying that it was like the pot calling the kettle black. The Congress leaders sought to turn the tables on Mr Naidu by saying that it was he who was negligent on the Babli project since he was at the helm of administration in Andhra Pradesh at the time the Maharashtra government began construction of the project across river Godavari. Decrying Mr Naidu's 'attempts to gain sympathy' by claiming that women legislators were manhandled by the Maharashtra police, they sought to remind Mr Naidu that his administration had used mounted police against women protestors.Stating that his talk of 'Telugu atmagauravam' was meaningless, they alleged that he (Mr Naidu) had held Telugu legislators hostage in a city hotel during August 2005 rebellion against the then Chief Minister N T Rama Rao, founder of TDP.
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