AP Congress needs own newspaper, TV channel: Panel

Hyderabad: The Congress in the state is in dire need of a newspaper and a TV channel of its own to propagate its ideology and publicise its welfare schemes, the ministerial committee, set up to look into the party’s debacle in the recent bypolls, says in its primary report. The committee, headed by roads and buildings minister Dharmana Prasada Rao and consisting of 10 members, submitted its primary report to chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and PCC chief Botcha Satyanarayana at Gandhi Bhavan here on Wednesday. The committee has made 34 recommendations for improvement of the image of the government and 17 suggestions for strengthening the Congress party in the state.

Installation of Indira Gandhi statues in weaker sections colonies, renaming the welfare schemes introduced by YS Rajasekhara Reddy, introduction of new populist schemes like providing “taali” to brides and grooms from downtrodden classes, extension of Arogyasri health scheme to pensioners and other sections and filling nominated posts in the government are some of the recommendations made by the committee. It came to the opinion that the welfare schemes being implemented by the government were not getting wide publicity in the media as the Congress did not have an exclusive media to promote its schemes.

The committee attributed the electoral poor show in the just-concluded bypolls to the propaganda of the YSR Congress that various welfare schemes, introduced by YS Rajasekhara Reddy, had been discontinued by his successors. “People believe this false propaganda as the YSRCP has its own media to spread its claims among people. To counter this, we need to publicise about the schemes of the government in an effective manner. For this, we need our own daily and TV channel,” said a minister who is a member of the committee.

The Congress in the state is in dire need of a newspaper and a TV channel of its own, says a party panel.

It is learnt that the report said the government was ineffective in boasting of its unique welfare schemes like the one-rupee rice, Rajiv Yuva Kiranalu, Stree Nidhi and interest-free loans, and recommended to the chief minister extensive promotional activities to educate its traditional vote bank on these schemes. The committee also suggested constitution of committees at all levels in the party and conduct of elections to village panchayats.

Sources in the committee said it was also recommended that the party leadership take steps to bring about unity among senior leaders. The chief minister and the PCC chief should also bury the hatchet. “We have also recommended to the party leadership to take disciplinary action against those leaders who are resorting to anti-party activities,” said Prasada Rao.

It was also recommended that apart from the chief minister every minister should tour at least 100 constituencies every month to know the flaws in the implementation of welfare schemes and to read the pulse of the people. The committee also asked the party’s state leadership to appoint committees for all the frontal organisations of the party and make them active. It was also decided to constitute village committees for the Congress so as to strengthen the party at the grass-root level. The Committee was formed on June 30 and asked to make recommendations to strengthen the party.

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