YSR schemes renamed, re-introduced by Kiran: DL

4 Jun, 2013 15:16 IST|Sakshi

Accusing Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy of ‘stealing’ others' welfare schemes, D L Ravindra Reddy, who was dismissed from the Cabinet, said on Tuesday that the schemes implemented by late YSR have been rechristened and re-launched.

Launching a tirade against the Chief Minister, DL expressed concern over how the image of AICC president Sonia Gandhi was tarnished in the Kiran Reddy’s regime. He charged the Chief Minister with a leader of craving for publicity investing crores of rupees of public money. He said he had forwarded his resignation on February 8, 2012 to PCC president Botsa Satyanarayana and what prompted the party to oust him from the cabinet? Stating that he was not going for a collision course with someone, DL also ruled out leaving the party.

Giving an account of schemes introduced by the Chief Minister, D L said SC, ST sub-plan was the brainchild of Deputy Chief Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha and many of the schemes which were now introduced by Kiran Reddy were implemented by YSR long ago. He said ‘Amma Hastham,’ which was aimed at providing various groceries to the poor people, was a total failure and no bag was received by people in all the five mandals of his Mydukuru constituency. Indiramma Kala, which has been implemented in all the Congress-ruled states as it was a directive from Sonia Gandhi, DL said and added that Kiran Reddy had altered YSR’s scheme “Rajiv Udyogasri” into “Rajiv Yuvakiranalu”. He criticised that no chief Minister had ever used his name for the scheme, but the Chief Minister had a dubious distinction.

DL Ravindra Reddy said the YSR government introduced a scheme to provide a nose ring to the women who underwent FP operation after one girl child in 2005. The scheme was aimed at increasing girl child sex ratio. The women beneficiaries would get Rs 1 lakh after her daughter attained the age of 18. The government had entered into an agreement with LIC to provide the assistance under the scheme. The scheme was renamed as ‘Bangaruthalli’ and re-introduced by Kiran Reddy, but no minister in the cabinet was informed of the scheme. The government stalled the programme without releasing funds from 2011, he explained.

DL said ‘Indira Jalaprabha’ introduced by Kiran Reddy was like an old wine in new bottle. When YSR was the Chief Minister he had designed a scheme under integrated wasteland management and it was named as ‘Indira Prabha’. Another programme of Kiran Reddy was Rajiv Vidya Deevena under which textbooks would be supplied to the SC, ST students and YSR government had provided an assistance of Rs 1000 under the same scheme. Referring to ‘Mee Seva’, D L Said only 60 per cent services have been taken up under the scheme till now.

He said he served the Congress party for 35 years, but the party had gifted him a dismissal. When a liquor tragedy occurred in his constituency, YSR informed him about the party high command’s decision and asked him and JC Diwakar Reddy to resign from the council of ministers, he said and expressed deep concern over sending him out unceremoniously. “I am not a tainted minister, no charge of corruption against me and I have never involved in any anti-party activities. I wanted to know why I was sacked,” DL maintained.

Explaining how differences have been cropped with the Chief Minister, DL said he was humiliated by the Chief Minister when he was invited for launching of ‘Rajiv Yuvakiranalu’ on September 9, 2011 as he developed a grouse against him. “I got hurt when the majority of portfolios are stripped from me in 2012 and I wrote a letter to PCC chief Botsa Satyanarayana to accept my resignation on February 8, 2012,” DL said. Instead of accepting the resignation, the party had removed him. “I would have been resigned, if the party asked me to do it. But I was undemocratically and aggressively sent out. Though it was to terrorise some other ministers like Botsa Satyanarayana, Damodara Rajanarasimha, it was unfair on the part of the party. The party should not be damaged under any circumstances and Sonia Gandhi’s name should not be tarnished,” DL asserted. He, however, said he would consult with his followers to decide his future course of action.