TDP come out with clear stand on Rs 2 per kg rice: CLP

Hyderabad, Apr 14 (UNI) The Andhra Pradesh Congress Legislative Party (CLP) today demanded that the Opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) come out with its stand on 'Rs 2 per kg rice' scheme, which was launched by Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy's government on April nine in the state.

According to a press release here, Government Chief Whip N Kiran Kumar Reddy, Whips S Udaya Bhanu and D Sridhar Babu pointed out that the TDP leaders were making 'contradictory' statements on the rice scheme.

Demanding that the TDP President and former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu announce his party's stand on the scheme immediately, the CLP leaders observed that Mr Naidu had increased the price of rice immediately after he assumed charge as the Chief Minister in 1996. The price of rice was further increased to Rs 5.50 per kg in 1999 when he was re-elected as the Chief Minister, they said.

Alleging that the TDP's Chief, on one hand, was criticizing the government for implementing the scheme and on the other hand he was promising to implement the scheme if his party came to power. The leaders said the Congress, then an opposition party, had supported previous TDP government when it implemented the Rs two per kg rice scheme.

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