Minister turns down TDP resignation demand

Hyderabad, Oct 23 (UNI) Andhra Pradesh Rural Development Minister G Chinna Reddy today turned down Telugu Desam Legislature Party Deputy Leader N Janardhan Reddy's challenge to resign as an MLA and contest against him in a byelection.

''The TDP leader is no match to me'', the Minister told reporters here.

He asked the former Minister to wait till the 2009 Assembly elections or face local Congress leader Damodar Reddy in a byelection by resigning his Assembly seat.

Development of Backward Mahaboobnagar district received maximum attention from Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, he said, accusing the main Opposition TDP of placing hurdles before development projects by raising ''baseless'' corruption charges.

It was the TDP leader who had ''swallowed'' the rice allocated by the Centre for the Food for Work Programme during the previous TDP regime, he alleged.

UNI