Chandrababu Naidu apes YS Jagan, guns for 175 Assembly seats at TDP meet

AMARAVATI: Almost emulating his bete noire YS Jaganmohan Reddy’s slogan of ‘Why not 175?’, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President Nara Chandrababu Naidu too gave a clarion call to his partymen on Monday to win all the 175 Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh in the next elections.

Addressing the general body meeting of the party at the party’s state office in Mangalagiri, he felt that the next seven months were going to be very crucial for the TDP. He alleged that unscrupulous Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had totally ruined the state in the last four years.

The general body meeting mainly focused on the proposed campaign and the bus yatras to take the recently announced party manifesto 'Bhavisyathuku Guarantee' (guarantee for the future) to the people. Chandrababu Naidu stated that he had never seen such a corrupt and criminal rule in his political career.

Stating that the TDP had already successfully exposed the YS Jagan government through the ‘Badude Badudu’ programme, Chandrababu called upon the TDP activists to continue their fight against the government and highlight people’s problems with the same spirit even in future.

The former chief minister also claimed that the state had successfully achieved surplus power by implementing several revolutionary measures in the power sector during the previous TDP regime. “However, YS Jagan is imposing a huge burden on the people by increasing the power charges heavily. In the past four years, the power charges have been revised at least seven times," Chandrababu Naidu noted.

Expressing concern that corruption was rampant in the energy department right from the installation of meters to solar power plants, the TDP Chief asked as to why power was being purchased in the market at Rs 10 per unit. He was of the opinion that the inefficiency of the Chief Minister was the primary reason for the price hike and fall in revenue.

Regretting that no person in the state could freely express his or her opinion, the TDP supremo said that illegal cases were being foisted against those raising their voice. “Even women are not an exception, as they are being subjected to personal attacks if they question this government,” the opposition leader felt. The ruling party leaders are simply playing with the lives of innocent people by selling 'J' brand liquor, he stated.

The TDP Chief also called on the activists to visit every doorstep to have first-hand information on public issues and submit a report to the party. Depending on their reports, the party manifesto will be prepared, he said, and felt that the coming seven months were very crucial for the TDP. The party should win all the 175 Assembly seats, Chandrababu said, and asked the TDP leaders to perform with responsibility. "We all should work for the welfare of the State and for the future generations," he said