Tirupati: Chinta Mohan vows to continue fight for SCS

Tirupati: The Congress campaign for the Tirupati Lok Sabha bypoll looks unique in the sense that it devoid the usual hubbub of big following of leaders and activists that is invariable for any poll campaign.

Party nominee Dr Chinta Mohan without much fanfare silently but briskly carrying on his electioneering daily touching every house and approaching every voter in the pilgrim city. Armed with a bunch of half a dozen varieties of pamphlets in Telugu explaining his and party assurances in a simple but effective way, Mohan along with a handful of trusted followers takes to streets exactly at 6 in the morning and continue his campaign till 10 and resume after 5 in the evening, avoiding searing heat and continue.

Unmindful of his age, Mohan a battle hardened, as he was a six-time MP and had already fought 9 Lok Sabha elections from Tirupati and contesting for 10th time, he is the first among the five candidates of the contesting parties including YSRCP, TDP, BJP and CPM to begin his campaign and had already covered most of the seven Assembly segments under Tirupati parliament segment.

Unlike other candidates he did not mince words in his fierce verbal attack on his rival and did not spare Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy while other party leaders hesitated on making such an attack on Jagan.

Speaking to The Hans India during his hectic electioneering in the city on Thursday, he said he is focusing broadly on 4-5 issues that are directly concerning the common voters of Tirupati Parliament.

Foremost among the assurances was Special Category Status (SCS) to AP and making Tirupati its capital, he said adding that he is explaining the voters how the good old national party alone capable of getting SCS and Tirupati, the world famous pilgrim centre deserves more than any other area to become state capital.

"I am reminding the voters on how the BJP and TDP diluted the NTPC-BHEL Mannavaram power project denying jobs to our youth and now YSRCP also silent on it to stress the common voters that electing Congress must for reviving the project and also Durgarajapatnam port another mega project that was also shelved by BJP with the tacit support of TDP and YSRCP," he said. As everyone is feeling the pinch of the tardy GST, rising fuel and edible oil prices due to the failure of BJP government, the voters should elect Congress candidate to put pressure on the governments to rein in the spiralling prices, the Congress leader said claiming that people started believing that the Congress is the only alternative to fight on these issues hitting them hard.

Another major issue helping me connect well with voters, he said, was the aggressive privatisation of BJP not sparing the Vizag Steel Plant that is innate to hearts of Telugus and making it clear Congress would go all out to save VSP.

"I am also harping back on the greatness of Congress, a party of all religions and castes and responsible for freedom and taking the country on the track of developments," he said exuding confidence on winning the election this time.