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AP CM to move HC against EC order

Shireen in Hyderabad

The Telugu Desam Party government has decided to move the Andhra Pradesh high court against the Election Commission's directive to suspend the implementation of the subsidised cooking gas connection scheme till the elections to the Lok Sabha and state legislative assembly are completed in September.

Announcing this at a hurriedly convened media conference in Hyderabad on Wednesday night, Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu asserted that "it is not proper on the part of the Election Commission to create hurdles in the implementation of the cooking gas scheme on a meaningless pretext".

He recalled that the Election Commission had raised objection to the scheme on the ground that there was no budgetary provision and that it was unveiled on the eve of elections. He, however, maintained that the state government has already deposited with the three public sector oil companies a sum of Rs 500 million out of the Rs 1,000 million required for the scheme.

He pointed out that the state government has mobilised Rs 3,000 million for the Deepam scheme through the issue of bonds by the Andhra Pradesh Infrastructure Development Corporation. One-third of the funds raised have been earmarked for the cooking gas scheme.

Replying to a volley of questions, he said, "It is not a question of challenging the Election Commission but only questioning its improper decision. The Election Commission has also failed to note a simple point that the three-phased polling in Andhra Pradesh will end on September 17.'' The Commission said that the scheme should not be implemented till September 24, 1999.

Terming the decision of the Commission on the Deepam scheme 'unprecedented', he also gave a call to women all over the state to launch an agitation to protest against the Commission's directive.

He said that poor rural women cannot be deprived of the benefits of the scheme because of the Commission's narrow interpretation of the model code of conduct.

He said that he would consult the state advocate general and legal experts today to discuss the filing of the writ petition against the Commission's fiat.

Commenting on the Commission's advice to the state government to suspend his teleconferences with the district collectors in view of the elections, Naidu said that he would write to the Commission to reconsider its decision in this regard.

He welcomed the Commission's directive to continue the Janma Bhoomi and Adarana schemes (which envisages provision of tool kits to backward class artisans), saying that it vindicated the state government's contention that these were ongoing schemes which could not be brought under the purview of the model code of conduct. He said that the next round of the Janma Bhoomi programme, due in August 1999, would not be held in view of the elections.

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