The Telugu Desam chief, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, dumped the free rice scheme within 24 hours of promising it.
On Friday, Mr Naidu clarified that the 20-kg rice promised in the party’s election manifesto will be adjusted in the Cash Transfer Scheme wherein he has promised to pay Rs 1,000, Rs 1,500 and Rs 2,000 cash to the poor directly every month.
The Rs 2-a-kg rice scheme would continue, he told the media at Tandur in Ranga Reddy district, about 100 km from here, where he had halted for the night.
When a reporter asked about the free rice scheme, he said the Rs 2-a-kg rice scheme would continue and there would be no change in the price of essential commodities supplied by the civil supplies department.
Does it mean that there would be no free rice scheme, he was asked. “This will form part of the cash transfer scheme,” he said.
The TD manifesto released on Thursday stated that every poor would get 4 kg rice per head to a maximum of 20 kgs per month free. The cash transfer scheme, which Mr Naidu sees as his trump card, has been listed as a separate scheme.
Before he could be asked more questions, Mr Naidu ended the press conference.
The Congress was quick to seize on the turnaround. In a statement, the Chief Minis-ter, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, ridiculed the TD election manifesto as full of “impractical promises.”
He said Mr Naidu was “trying to fool the people.” Mr Naidu had always been insincere in keeping promises made before the polls.
Dr Reddy said the cash scheme required an outlay of Rs 40,000 crore. The scheme was “utterly impractical” unless the government itself printed currency.
The finance minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, said: “I wasn’t surprised. He never keeps his promise. We have to see how many more schemes will be dumped.”
On Friday, Mr Naidu clarified that the 20-kg rice promised in the party’s election manifesto will be adjusted in the Cash Transfer Scheme wherein he has promised to pay Rs 1,000, Rs 1,500 and Rs 2,000 cash to the poor directly every month.
The Rs 2-a-kg rice scheme would continue, he told the media at Tandur in Ranga Reddy district, about 100 km from here, where he had halted for the night.
When a reporter asked about the free rice scheme, he said the Rs 2-a-kg rice scheme would continue and there would be no change in the price of essential commodities supplied by the civil supplies department.
Does it mean that there would be no free rice scheme, he was asked. “This will form part of the cash transfer scheme,” he said.
The TD manifesto released on Thursday stated that every poor would get 4 kg rice per head to a maximum of 20 kgs per month free. The cash transfer scheme, which Mr Naidu sees as his trump card, has been listed as a separate scheme.
Before he could be asked more questions, Mr Naidu ended the press conference.
The Congress was quick to seize on the turnaround. In a statement, the Chief Minis-ter, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, ridiculed the TD election manifesto as full of “impractical promises.”
He said Mr Naidu was “trying to fool the people.” Mr Naidu had always been insincere in keeping promises made before the polls.
Dr Reddy said the cash scheme required an outlay of Rs 40,000 crore. The scheme was “utterly impractical” unless the government itself printed currency.
The finance minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, said: “I wasn’t surprised. He never keeps his promise. We have to see how many more schemes will be dumped.”
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