Hyderabad, Dec 23: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu's poll-eve exercise of presenting `progress reports' of his government's achievements continued to draw flak from the Opposition with CPI (M) today joining the issue dubbing it as "gross misuse of official machinery". "It is nothing but a propaganda stunt replete with distortions, half-truths and lies," the state CPI (M) Secretary B V Raghavulu alleged at a press conference here. Questioning the propriety of using electronic media for self-promotion in the name of empowering people with information, he said the "self-flattering exercise" would not cut much ice with public as independent surveys by reputed organisations had exposed the state's deteriorating financial health and skewed priorities of the TDP government. "In the guise of live interaction with people, naidu has sought to hog the limelight while his ministers were completely sidelined," Raghavulu said.
Terming the exercise as a 'goebbel's campaign to mislead people with an eye on coming elections', the main opposition Congress had yesterday come out with a parallel report highlighting the government's failures.
The CPI and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) had also assailed the government for spreading falsehood under the guise of progress reports.
Naidu had yesterday kicked off a ten-day long programme involving a 90-minute interactive session every day, telecast live by as many as six regional television channels, and covering his government's achievements in key sectors during last eight years.
Bureau Report