Lok Satta refutes Babu's charges

The Lok Satta Party today charged TDP President and former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu with indulging in lies against Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan in his bid to defend cash transfer and color TV distribution proposals.

Mr. Chandrababu Naidu had rhetorically asked in a private TV channel interview whether the poor did not deserve a monthly payment when Dr. JP drew Rs.25000 as monthly pension.

Party spokesmen Katari Srinivasa Rao and P. Ravi Maruth told the media that Dr. JP did not draw any pension. Although he was fully aware that he would be eligible to draw pension if he completed 20 years in service, he chose to forgo pension, quit service and founded the Lok Satta movement. In fact, Dr. JP had spurned a Government a site for house construction as a matter of principle.

The Lok Satta leaders said the proposal to distribute color TVs amounted to a corrupt election practice while the cash transfer scheme would be detrimental to the State’s progress. Poverty could be eradicated only when every child was provided access to quality education and health care and job-oriented skills and employment.

Instead of helping people stand on their own feet, Mr. Chandrababu Naidu’s proposals in his party’s draft manifesto would perpetuate poverty and make people depend on the Government indefinitely.