Congress tries to lure voters by promising free TVs

The Congress has promised free television sets along with dish connection for poor and free laptops for students of government colleges, in its manifesto for Seemandhra released Friday.

The Congress, which is facing a testing time in Seemandhra in view of bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, promised freebies for different sections of voters to woo them.

The election manifesto for Seemandhra said if the party comes to power, it would introduce a new scheme under which 100 square yard land will be allotted in the name of girl child immediately after her birth and a house will be constructed on the land at the time of her marriage.

The party promised to waive all loans of self-help groups. 

Andhra Pradesh Congress chief N. Raghuveera Reddy said free electricity would be provided to houses which consume less than 100 units per month. 

"There will be no hike in electricity tariff for five years and daily nine-hour uninterrupted power supply will be ensured for farmers," he said.

The Congress promised to create Rs.5,000 crore calamity relief fund for farmers and increase the retirement age of government employees to 60 years. 

Elections to 25 Lok Sabha and 175 assembly seats in Seemandhra are scheduled on May 7. Seemandhra will come into being as Andhra Pradesh state on June 2.

Union minister and senior central leader Jairam Ramesh, who released the manifesto, said Polavaram project, which will irrigate seven lakh acre land and generate 900 MW of electricity, would get the status of national project. 

Jairam said 80 TMC water would be diverted from Godavari river to Krishna river, which will help both Telangana and Seemandhra.