NEW DELHI: The Information and Broadcasting Minister, H.K.L. Bhagat, citing the reason for All India Radio and Doodarshan refusing to record the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, N.T. Rama Rao’s Independence Day message said that the message contained a paragraph calculated to demoralize the defense forces and create uneasiness in the minds of their families. What was that passage?

“Even after 40 years of independence for the necessities of a common man to the necessities of the country’s defense we are dependent on foreign technology and to our forces we are giving useless guns imported from other countries thereby playing with the lives of the army personnel.”

Rama Rao’s message adds: “Why are such things happening in the country? Is it that we do not have enough resources? Is it because we are not capable of experimentation? Or is it due to the selfish desires of the rulers? Or is it due to the corrupt methods of the rulers?

“The progress and development whatever we have achieved are not due to the rulers. It is but natural that the country could not achieve what it should have as it is being ruled by people who know nothing about the people’s pulse and who never bother about the people’s welfare. The situation should change. The rulers should be sincere; service minded and should work for the welfare of the people.

“Day in and day out we have been boasting that the country has made rapid strides by showing examples like the Agni missile. All the available media are being used to project these statements. But what is the place of the common man in the society? How that is the rich are becoming richer and the poor much poorer?

Rama Rao said that the ideal should be the wellbeing and welfare of all the people and service to the poor and downtrodden should be our motto.

“The Telugu Desam government formed with the blessings of the Telugu people is involved in this goal. We have resolved to serve the poor and downtrodden infuse confidence in them and work for their welfare. We have evolved schemes for them and are implementing them to the last letter and spirit. There is no place for the rich in these schemes there is no place for the influential and no place for the middlemen.

 

Article extracted from this publication >>  September 1, 1989