Regional parties against national unity:Alvi

Hyderabad, May 14 (UNI) Senior Congress Leader Rashid Alvi, MP, today claimed regional parties posed a threat to national unity.

The Congress leader from Uttar Pradesh, while participating in the celebrations to mark the party's completion of four years in office, claimed the emergence of regional parties like the TDP in Andhra Pradesh, Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, affected the nation's political stability.

Mr Alvi, who had been elected to the Rajya Sabha from Andhra Pradesh after he quit the Bahujan Samaj Party, maintained the Congress alone could strengthen secularism in the country and keep the nation united.

Branding the regional parties as corrupt, he claimed he had not seen a more corrupt government than the previous Mulayam Singh's dispensation in Uttar Pradesh.

Questioning the secular credentials of the Telugu Desam Party, he asked why the TDP did not withdraw support to the then Vajpayee Government in protest against the communal carnage in Gujarat.

Congratulating the Andhra Pradesh voters for sending 30 Congress members to the Lok Sabha, he said the party was able to run the UPA Government only because of this.

Earlier, All India Congress Committee Coordinator P J Kurien challenged the Opposition to make corruption charges only with proof.

He showered praises on the Rajasekhara Reddy Government for fulfilling all the poll promises, a year ahead of its term.

AICC Secretary Iqbal Singh described the Rs 60,000 crore loan waiver for farmers as a historic decision taken by the Manmohan Singh Government to overcome the agrarian crisis.

He expressed confidence that under the stewardship of Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy and Pradesh Congress President D Srinivas, the Congress would win more Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in the next elections.

Union Minister of State for Defence Pallam Raju said the UPA Government was constantly striving to improve the lot of the farmers and referred to the steps taken by the Centre to double the quantum of credit to farmers and reduction in interest rate on farm loans.

Referring to price rise, he attributed the same to unprecedented rise in the price of crude oil. The Centre was taking all steps to bring down inflation.

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