TDP Mahanadu: Naidu says TDP ready to face challenges

Vijayawada: The Telegu Desam Party (TDP) chief and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Nara Chandrababu Naidu, said the party is ready to face challenges and strengthen and protect its cadres in spite of the hurdles posed by the YSRCP government. He was speaking at the TDP conclave Mahanadu held at the party office on 28 May.

Challenges are nothing new for the TDP and the party is committed and inspired to work for a better future, he said. The TDP, Mr Naidu said, is an institute and the cadres have been its greatest strength for decades.

Mr Naidu paid floral tributes to TDP founder and late Chief Minister Nandamuri Taraka Ramarao (NTR) on his 97th birth anniversary. Continuing its decade-old tradition, the TDP adopted a unanimous resolution demanding the Centre confer the Bharat Ratna to NTR.

Addressing the party leaders and cadres via video-conference, Mr Naidu said NTR was a great leader of Andhra Pradesh and was instrumental in uplifting the poor and weaker sections of the society. He appealed to the party cadres and leaders to take the party ahead with NTR’s ideals and principles.

NTR’s son and party MLA Nandamuri Balakrishna said his father's welfare schemes in Andhra Pradesh had brought cheers and many states in the country had adopted them under different names. He was confident that TDP would return to power under the leadership of Mr Naidu.

Coming down heavily on Chief Minister Y.S Jaganmohan Reddy and his YSRCP government, TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh alleged that the state government's proposal to auction the government lands in Vizag and Guntur under Mission Build Andhra Pradesh was a land scam. He said the "Build AP" project was, in fact, a "Sold AP" mission.

Senior leaders of TDP also lashed out at the Jagan government for creating unrest and terror in the state. They said YSRCP has been looting people's money through various taxes and by increasing the prices. The state High Court has been finding faults in the government's decisions but the state has failed to honour the court's directives, they alleged, adding people have lost faith in YSRCP due to their arrogance and disrespect for the court.

TDP leaders Ch. Ayyanna Patrudu and Yanamala Ramakrishna said future generations will suffer if Jagan continues this anarchy in the state. The Andhra Pradesh police has been harassing TDP cadres by registering false cases against them, they added.