People ridiculing decentralisation slogan, claims Chandrababu

AMARAVATI: Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president and former chief minister Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday was highly critical of the policies being adopted by the ruling dispensation, particularly against the TDP leaders and the programmes being organised by the party in the State.

Expressing satisfaction over the turnout for his recent meetings and the programmes organised by the TDP earlier, Chandrababu said that the TDP always worked with national agenda. The TDP national president was addressing the party general body meeting after launching the agitational programme titled as 'Idemi Kharma' (What is this ill-fate?).

Chandrababu said that the TDP was a partner in several national reforms and functioned always with responsibility, when in power or in opposition. He said that he had worked with several chief ministers in his career and when he himself was the chief minister many world leaders visited Andhra Pradesh to have first-hand information on the administration.

Observing that the TDP was a classic example for welfare and development, he said that for the first time in his life, he was witnessing such a hostile government. Beginning with the TDP state unit president, Atchen Naidu three-and-a-half years ago, the ruling party has been harassing everyone including social media activists, he said.

Stating that there is no change in the attitude of either the Government or the police, the TDP national president pointed out that even the media coordinator of the TDP too was taken into custody, for silly reasons. Mr Chandrababu Naidu made it clear that once the TDP is back in power action will be initiated against such police officials.

"Though I am pained at these incidents, I have to move on democratic lines and follow the norms," he said, adding that troubles were being created at the public meetings addressed by the TDP leaders. Several obstructions were created even for the Mahanadu programme but still those gathered for the meeting firmly resisted them, he recalled. The claimed that the gathering for his Nandigama meeting was a record, adding, "I have never seen such a huge crowd for a public meeting both at Nandigama and in Kurnool addressed a couple of days ago." he recalled.

This is a clear indication that the people are disgusted at the style of functioning of this Government and they want the TDP back in power, Chandrababu said. Even the people of Kurnool are making fun of the decentralisation slogan of this government, he claimed.

Alleging that the same Chief Minister and the YSRCP clearly agreed for Amaravathi to be the capital when the bill was introduced in the Assembly, the former chief minister said and even recalled the statements made by the YSRCP leaders that their leader had built his house in Amaravathi. "Why did the YSRCP leaders not ask for Kurnool as judicial capital at that time," he asked.

Observing that an awareness has been brought about among the people by the TDP through the 'Badude Badudu' programme, he felt that Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy cannot escape from the cases that he is facing. Chandrababu said that if the TDP could not come back to power in the coming elections, no power on earth could save the State.

Jagan is only trying to resist the TDP from coming back to power, Chandrababu said, adding that the YSRCP was destroying all sectors as part of its mission. He called upon the party leaders to take the initiative to bring more awareness among the public on the need for the TDP to come to power in the coming polls and take the ongoing "Idemi Kharma' programme seriously.