Congress refutes Chandrababu's charge

Hyderabad, Nov 28 (UNI) Senior Congress leader G Muddu Krishnamma Naidu MLA today refuted the charge of Opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President N Chandrababu Naidu that the Congress was responsible for the beedi workers problems in the country.

Talking to newspersons here, he said the bill for printing danger warning skull and bones on each beedi packet was introduced by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government in 2003, which was supported by the TDP.

Mr Naidu said though the Union Labour Minister Oscar Fernandes had given assurance to remove the pictorial warning skull and bones by amending the Act, the opposition parties had been making baseless allegations on Congress and the State Government to gain political mileage out of the issue. The Congress was in no way connected to enactment of the legislation, he added.

He alleged that Mr Chandrababu, who had not addressed the problems of cotton growers, handloom weavers and farmers during his nine-year rule in the State was now talking about the welfare of the beedi workers, in view of the coming byelections to the Karimnagar Lok Sabha Seat.

He said the people would not believe Mr Chandrababu's statements and would teach a lesson in the by elections to both Karminagar and Bobbili Lok Sabha seats, as the people here were watching the developmental activities taken up by the State Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy.

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