Suicides (2009) in Andhra Pradesh; what about Baba's promised 'Golden Age' ?   Date: 03-15-04 By: Åsa Samsioe Email: asa.samsioe@leksand.mail.telia.com In a 'charge-sheet' released Thursday, the Congress alleged that 2,009 farmers had committed suicide in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh. The promised Golden Age seems to loiter. And as usual SSB isn´t able even to clean his own backyard. How on earth could anyone believe that he would be able to manage the whole world? http://www.indiadaily.com/pol.htm Congress releases "chargesheet" against NDA government Thursday, March 11, 2004 New Delhi : The Congress released what it calls a "chargesheet" against the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) rule to highlight the "failure" of Vajpayee government. Titled "Vajpayee Government : A saga of sins, scams and shame", the 55-page chargesheet accused the NDA Government of "miserable failure" on all fronts including national security, employment and agriculture and questioned the "feel good" factor being projected by the ruling coalition. The Congress virtually ruled out the idea of fielding joint Opposition candidates against the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Deputy Prime Minister, L K Advani, the HRD Minister, Murli Manohar Joshi, and other top leaders of the NDA. The Congress has retained 60 members of the last Lok Sabha in its first list of candidates, released here, for 75 seats across 21 States and Union Territories. And, only in the case of Shyama Charan Shukla has a sitting member's seat been changed with the senior of the Shukla brothers being shifted, apparently on his request, to Raipur from Mahasumand where his sibling and former Congressman, V C Shukla, is likely to contest on a BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) ticket. The Congress has fielded four senior leaders, including former finance ministers, Manmohan Singh and Pranab Mukherjee, to pick holes in the BJP-led government's "India Shining" campaign. Besides the former finance ministers, Natwar Singh and Arjun Singh have been assigned to lead the charge against the NDA. Releasing the chargesheet, senior party leader Pranab Mukherjee and Delhi Chief Minister Shiela Dixit, wondered as to how anyone could talk of "India shining" when in Ananthapur district of Andhra Pradesh alone 2009 farmers had committed suicide because of indebtedness. The Congress President, Sonia Gandhi, launched her party's election campaign in the south by seeking a "vote for change" and appealing to the people to reject the "corrupt and scam-ridden" Government at the Centre. Addressing a large gathering at Nandyal, the heartland of the backward Rayalaseema region in Andhra Pradesh, Gandhi described the BJP-led NDA Government as the "most corrupt-ever, dogged by the Tehelka, the UTI and petrol bunk scams." In contrast, the Congress had long years of experience in running the government effectively and cared for every single section of the population, especially the poor, she said.