AP industrialists start forum to educate voters

The forum, consisting of around 50 industrialists, will shortly launch a major campaign via print and electronic media to put forth its view points on election manifestoes of various political parties to help the electorate understand better the various development issues confronting the state. It will study the manifestoes, either endorse or oppose the points therein in the light of its expressed intent.

Interestingly, taking a rather daring step in the face of a fierce campaign for a separate Telangana state, the forum has called for a united Andhra Pradesh. "A united and integrated state led by leaders with strong visionary skills only can work to the best advantage of the state," the forum leaders said at a media briefing.

Ramesh Gelli, president of the Forum for Development, said that the Forum for Development of Backward Areas formed two years ago by concerned citizens had been rechristened as Forum for Development with 'AP Winning' as its catch phrase. The objectives of the old forum had been broadbased taking account various contemporary issues, he said.

The new forum was born out of a common concern as to whether the voters were able to discern the various candidates in the electoral fray and also the parties in order to decide on the options before them. The campaign would seek to apprise the voters of the various issues that the state was facing and the strategies put forth by parties to resolve such issues, Gelli said.

The campaign will also be launched via e-mails, SMS, sticker and poster campaigns with precise one-liners, viz., "I Vote For Unity and Integrity" and "I Vote for Strong Leadership and Vision".

When asked such a campaign with a call for united state would directly benefit the ruling Telugu Desam Party and hurt the interests of the Congress-TRS alliance, Gelli said unit and integration was a widely perceived global phenomenon which had expressed itself vividly in the case of a united Germany.

While the unit of two German countries led to a strong and vibrant unified Germany with all-round development, the disintegration of USSR into various nations led to the growth of poverty among its people by as much as 30 per cent.

He clarified that the forum was not working against or in support of any political party. It was merely trying to put the issue in its right perspective for the people to decide on it.

D V Manohar, general secretary of the forum, said that it would strive to function as a bridge or facilitator between the government and the people. It would also motivate 'non-voters' to exercise their franchisee by voting a political party with strong leadership and vision for prosperity of the state, he said.

The campaign would appeal to voters to elect a government, which can bring about multi-dimensional and accelerated development of the state, which is a prerequisite for survival in the present day world economy, characterised by liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation.

Apart from Gelli and Manohar, the forum's executive committee includes C Shekhar Reddy, president of AP Builders Association; Venkat Jasti, MD of Suven Life Sciences; F D Wakil, vice-chairman of AP State Minorities Commission, and Rama Devi, president of Association of Lady Entrepreneurs of Andhra Pradesh.