It's our duty to pass the baton to successors, CM Naidu tells party leaders

Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday said party leaders, including him, should take the responsibility of passing the baton of leadership to successors in the future.

Addressing the party leaders and cadres after formally launching the party's membership drive, Naidu said the Telugu Desam Party witnessed several challenges and had a crisis. Nevertheless, it successfully withstood all of them and would remain powerful in future also. This is the first time that Naidu has been publicly speaking about future leadership of the party.

"Several people earlier thought that Telugu Desam was finished. But the TDP remained forever and will remain forever. We all should take the responsibility of handing over the party to future generations. We are all just trustees (of the party) only. We are only successors (of the party)...and have the responsibility to pass on what we inherited to our successors in the future," he said.

The TDP began its membership drive here with Naidu becoming a member by paying Rs 100.

The CM claimed that the TDP was the first political party in the country which started giving insurance cover to its workers.

According to him, every member is entitled to a health insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh, besides other benefits.

Naidu said it was only after TDP founder N T Rama Rao became the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh that Telugu people got recognition. He also assured that the TDP would stand by those workers who suffered during the previous YSRCP regime.

Naidu said the TDP membership drive will continue for the next 45 days and polls within the party will be conducted in the due course of time.

Inputs from PTI