Health for all by 2010: PR
Chiru blames successive governments for poor healthcare facilities in State
HYDERABAD:
Praja Rajyam president Chiranjeevi said on Sunday that ‘callousness’ of successive governments was responsible for the poor healthcare facilities in the State.
Addressing a doctors’ meet here, he promised when elected to power the party would strive to achieve ‘health for all by 2010’ and make best medicare available across the State, making it truly ‘Arogyandhra Pradesh’.
Health spend
Responding to a point made by former State president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) E. Ravinder Reddy, he said the party would focus on easing the health spend from the current 1.5 per cent of the budget. While the World Health Organisation suggested 4.5 per cent, States, like Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, were trying to increasing it to at least 2.5 p.c. he said, promising AP would also do so when PR comes to power.
Fake drugs
Mr. Chiranjeevi expressed concern at the alarming spread of spurious drugs. He said stricter drug control policies were required, recalling his experience while touring Prakasam district recently. Doctors had found that antibiotics bought for his sore throat were found to be fake when he complained that they were not working.
P. Mitra, general secretary, said while the party was not per se against corporate hospitals their priority should be to improve the public health system and make available world-class healthcare delivery free to people. On female infanticide, he said the party would curb it with an iron hand and consider it as murder.
Sexologist Samaram presided. B. Chandrasekhar, former Kakinada municipal chairperson, summed up the proposals made by doctors. The proposals include preventing communicable diseases caused by contaminated water and environmental pollution.
PR to harness youth power
Chiru addresses techies under the banner ‘DoIT’
MEGA SUPPORT: PR president Chiranjeevi at the ‘DoIT’ meeting on Sunday.
HYDERABAD:
Praja Rajyam president Chiranjeevi on Sunday said youth and women were important partners in the party’s efforts to ride to power.
He was addressing an impressive gathering of techies under the banner of ‘DoIT’, an organisation fulfilling their corporate social responsibility and whose members he inspired since the formation of ‘Dynamites of IT’ in August 2008.
The PR chief explained how he was inspired by former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and how there was a marked reluctance in youth to join politics. There was a need to inspire youngsters to become future leaders. In this endeavour, he would ensure that youth were motivated and recognised so that they could contribute to the State and country’s progress.
Mr. Chiranjeevi played to the gallery, saying a major part of his life was in the cinema field. The rest was a phase where he would serve people, with youth directing him. There was thunderous applause when he said the party would harness youth power to take on opponents, who were supporting ‘rowdyism’ and stopping at nothing to achieve their ‘nefarious’ ends.
Presenting a brief on DoIT’s activities, volunteer A. Raja Suresh Kumar, who is among the core group of 10 people behind the organisation, said since August last year over 10,000 professionals had come together to back Praja Rajyam.
Kotagiri Vidyadhara Rao’s fate hangs in balance
Locals oppose Rao’s efforts to zero in on Unguturu segment
Little support for Rao from Praja Rajyam’s district leadership
ELURU:
Kotagiri Vidyadhara Rao, a vocal former Minister with nearly three decades of association with the Congress, TDP and now the Praja Rajyam, appears to be a ‘king without an empire’ now, thanks to the reservation of his native Chintalapudi Assembly segment for the Scheduled Castes.
The displaced leader, who had built his native constituency as an invincible citadel and virtually ruled it for a little over two decades, is waging a grim struggle for survival.
His chase for ‘shelter’ is on ever since he broke away from the TDP and joined the Praja Rajyam.
As he has zeroed in on Unguturu segment, Mr. Vidyadhara Rao is greeted with hostile situation from his one-time disciples and nondescripts staking claim for the ticket.
Mr. Vidyadhara Rao understandably draws little support from his party’s district leadership in his struggle.
Banners torn
His struggle went beyond confines of the party and spilled over to the streets when banners promoting his candidature were torn off at Agadalanka, a fishermen village in Kolleru recently.
Following a complaint obviously from Mr. Rao, the police allegedly detained Goli Subba Rao, a ticket aspirant from PR, suspecting his hand in the incident. This stoked local sentiment, leading to unifying all contenders from the constituency against Mr. Rao. Mr. Subba Rao, hailing from the backward classes, makes a pitch for the ticket to BCs who, he claims, constitute more than 90,000 in the constituency. All the ‘local’ ticket-seekers held a media conference a few days ago to sound a subtle warning to Mr. Vidyadhara Rao, saying they would strive to defeat any ‘non-local’ if the party decides to give the ticket.
Prabhu’s advent to enthuse PRP cadre
Party yet to decide on constituency
Yuva Rajyam district convener Tulasi Dharma Charan addressing a media conference in Guntur on Sunday.
GUNTUR:
Clouds of uncertainty hanging over the entry of Tulasi Group head Tulasi Ramachandra Prabhu into the Praja Rajyam Party ended after Mr. Prabhu’s nephew Dharma Charan was made the district convener of Yuva Rajyam, the youth wing of the party.
Mr. Dharma Charan, heads the marketing division of Tulasi Seeds, and has been actively working in the party ever since its launch.
Mr. Prabhu who returned from a foreign trip, met PRP president Chairanjeevi in Hyderabad recently and the latter urged him to play an active role in the party. Mr. Prabhu is expected to contest from either Guntur-West, Sattenapalli or Tenali assembly seats. If the party decides to field him from Guntur-West, Mr. Prabhu will find himself locking horns with his long-time associate and Transport Minister Kanna Lakshminarayana. But sources close to his family said that Mr. Prabhu was disinclined to contest from Guntur and would rather prefer Sattenapalli or Tenali seats.
The dramatic re-entry of Mr. Prabhu into the PRP fold would surely warm the hearts of the party cadre. He heads a business empire with a turn over of Rs.300 crore and has wide business interests including packaging, transport and seeds. But of late, Mr. Prabhu revealed his philanthropic side by establishing Sri Krishna Devaraya Trust and extending financial assistance to economically backward meritorious students.
Confusing delay
But political observers were flummoxed as to why he had delayed the decision till the announcement of election code and after the successful tour of Chiranjeevi. There was even hints of Prabhu being pulled back by a senior Cabinet minister and Mr. Prabhu himself feeling sidelined by a powerful group headed by Thota Chandrasekhar.
Meanwhile, Mr. Dharma Charan on Sunday announced his plans to boost the sagging morale of the members of Chiranjevi’s fan associations by assuring that 80 per cent of the youth outfit would be filled with them. He also said that the Yuva Rajyam activists would resume the door-to-door campaign. On March 15, scores of engineering and medical students would join the party at a meeting in Mahima Gardens.
The party would get a big morale boost with the visit of Pawan Kalyan in the last week of March, he added.
PRP hopeful
Rajahmundry:
PRP leader and brother of Chiranjeevi Nagendrababu said that their party was hopeful that it would get common symbol on March 16. He met some of the reporters on Sunday night after visiting Lalacheruvu spinning mill grounds, where Chiranjeevi’s pubic meeting is scheduled for Tuesday. He said the PRP first list would be announced on March 15 by Chiranjeevi and no aspirant should claim before the declaration that they got the ticket. Staff Reporter
Bandar PRP ticket likely for Vedavyas
VIJAYAWADA:
Former MLA Buragadda Vedavyas is likely to contest from the Bandar Assembly constituency on the Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) ticket in the ensuing election.
His name is almost finalised, and the party may announce this in the first list of candidates to be announced in a few days from now.
Several local PRP leaders, who are aspirants for the ticket, are reportedly bent upon lobbying hard to prevent Mr. Vedavyas’s candidature.
Sources say that Mr. Vedavyas is in the core committee of the party leadership and it will not be possible for the existing leaders in Bandar to mar his chances.
Kamineni Srinivas Rao’s name is also almost confirmed for the PRP ticket from Kaikaluru Assembly segment. He has been active in the party affairs right from the beginning, and his association with Chiranjeevi is well-known in the party circles.
The PRP leadership is said to be satisfied with the potential candidature of Simhadri Chandrasekhar for contesting from Avanigadda constituency.
He is son of former minister Simhadri Satyanarayana. Dr. Chandrasekhar is a cardiac specialist practising in the State Capital.
Dalit votes
Meanwhile, dalit leader Katti Padma Rao’s name is doing the rounds for the Gannavaram Assembly constituency. Party circles are surprised at this sudden development, but the leadership is said to be setting its sights on the SC votes in the constituency for improving winning chances of its candidate.
If Mr. Padma Rao attracts dalit votes to a considerable extent, it will damage the prospects of the Congress nominee. Kapu votes, together with SC votes, may help the PRP nominee to get the winning edge in the elections.
Several aspirants belonging to Kapu and Kamma communities have already stopped pursuing their case in the face of changed scenario in Gannavaram PRP affairs.
The party leadership has assured to accommodate them in nominated posts and other positions if they strive hard to ensure victory for the party in the elections.
Chiranjeevi Exclusive 