Priority to bring water to Anantapur: YSRCP LS candidate Rangaiah

Anantapur: Talari Rangaiah, YSRCP candidate for Anantapur Lok Sabha seat, is a former bureaucrat in State government. He served as a Project Director (PD) in DRDA, DWMA and also as a civic officer in Urban Development Department.

Amidst busy election schedule, 'The Hans India' interacted with Rangaiah on a variety of issues relating to people's needs in the Parliamentary constituency. Rangaiah said he hailed from a humble agriculture background and is the son of parents, who worked as agriculture labourers. "I have not taken a plunge into politics craving for governmental power, as a bureaucrat I enjoyed power for more than 21 years, but I had never developed any love for money as I always lived a simple life," says Rangaiah explaining why he is in politics giving up his bureaucratic position.

Despite knowing that I am not a moneyed man, YS Jaganmohan Reddy kept his promise made to me a year ago that he would give me the party MP ticket for Anantapur. For nearly a year, Rangaiah had been silently touring the 7 segments of the parliamentary constituency and meeting people and reviving old contacts as a government officer.

The seven Assembly segments include Anantapur, Kalyandurgam, Rayadurgam, Tadipatri, Guntakal, Uravakonda and Singanamala.

Asked what he had been promising to people as an MP candidate, Rangaiah said that water resources is crucial for development of any region. Water brings prosperity to people. He said his top priority is to provide irrigation source to farmers and industries. He would ensure that water reaches every village and make agriculture lands fertile. Replying to a question on his winning prospects, Rangaiah said that he has wide support in 5 of the 7 Assembly segments. To the question whether he sees any wave in favour of YSRCP, Rangaiah says he is seeing a state-level trend in favour of YSRCP.

Asked how he can win the election when his rival JC Pavan Reddy has a strong political and financial background, Rangaiah said he would prove through his election that election is not about money but people's confidence on him. To the question how much he must have spent so far, Rangaiah said that as per the CEC norms an MP candidate can spend Rs 70 lakh but he has so far spent Rs 10 lakh only, that too for food and fuel to party workers and for campaign vehicles.

Rangaiah says that he could sense the yearning of people for a 'change' in AP. He mentioned that the people would teach a befitting lesson to those who think money and muscle power can help them retain power. For nearly a year, Talari Rangaiah had been campaigning for himself and YSRCP. In the Parliament, he would make the voice of Anantapur heard loud and clear. He would also bring latest agriculture technology to the district with Israel type of water management.