Congress prepared for by-elections, says Balaraju

Tribal Welfare Minister P Balaraju on Monday stated that the Congress party was ready to face both, victory or defeat, in the by-elections.

Talking to media persons at Congress Legislature Party Office, the Minister said that the party leaders would face the consequences of by-polls 'collectively' and 'responsibly'. He was referring to 17 assembly seats which might go for by-polls after the disqualification of rebel MLAs who joined the YSR Congress party. Further, by-elections are due to be held for seven assembly seats which are already lying vacant.

Balaraju said that the party and district-in-charge ministers would take up the responsibility of election campaign and they would make all efforts to ensure the victory of Congress candidates. Expressing confidence that the party would win in all the constituencies, he said the party would go to election campaign with schemes and welfare programmes launched for the poor and middle classes. “People who got benefitted from the government schemes and programmes will definitely vote in favour of the Congress party,” he claimed.

The Minister also rubbished the remarks of YSR Congress party president Jagan Mohan Reddy that the government has ignored the schemes launched by former chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy after his demise. He said that the government was committed to implement all his pet programmes in letter and spirit despite financial constraints.

Balaraju said that the government was planning to send a team of newly elected MLAs in the assembly to agency areas in Visakhapatnam in the month of January to personally study the problems being faced by tribals. However, he said prior approval from Speaker Nadendla Manohar would be required to send the MLAs' team to the agency areas.