Predicting polls in 2008, Naidu asks cadre to gear up

Hyderabad, Dec 10 (UNI) Telugu Desam Party president and United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA) convener N Chandrababu Naidu today predicted that Lok Sabha elections would be held within one year.

Exhorting the party activists to get ready for electoral battle, Mr Naidu, addressing the extended state committee meeting here alleged that the ruling Congress in the state was steeped in corruption.

Referring to the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General(CAG) allegedly ''indicting'' the government for ''inflating'' the estimates, he called upon the party cadres to intensify the stir against corruption in irrigation and other projects.

He asked the party leaders and cadres to bury intra-party differences and concentrate on bringing out the misdeeds of the ruling Congress.

Promising to offer loans to small and marginal farmers at a mere one per cent interest rate, Mr Naidu assured other farmers of providing institutional credit at three per cent interest rate.

Stating that he was overwhelmed over the tremendous response from farmers to the UNPA's ''Rytu Garjana''(Ryots Roar), he said the TDP should organise meeting on the lines of Rytu Garjana to win over Dalits, Girijans and other backward classes and women.

UNI