Govt perpetrating 'Jungle Raj' in AP: Naidu

Hyderabad, Feb 4 (UNI) Telugu Desam Party President N Chandrababu Naidu today accused the Congress government in Andhra Pradesh of indulging in rampant corruption and perpetrating ''Jungle Raj'' in the state by ''physically attacking'' those exposing it, including Opposition leaders, Congressmen and press persons.

Addressing a press conference here, he alleged that ''Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Governor N D Tiwari were not taking action against Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy as the latter was sending ill-gotten money to the Congress high command regularly.'' Mr Naidu contended that the situation in Andhra Pradesh was worse than in Bihar. Quoting National Crime Bureau records, he said of the 159 ''political killings'' during 2006 in the country, 83 occurred in Andhra Pradesh, while Bihar reported 19 killings and Maharashtra 11.

The state had the notorious distinction of topping the country in white collar crimes and crime against women, while it stood second in economic offences and fifth in the number of kidnap cases, he claimed.

Alleging that 90,000 acres of land worth Rs one lakh crore had been ''encroached upon'' by ruling Congress workers in the state, he said if voted to power in the next elections, the TDP would retrieve all such lands and distribute them to the poor.

In all, 125 TDP men were assassinated during the Congress rule and as many as 10,000 cases were foisted on TDP workers, he claimed.

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