TDP will get more than magic figure, says Naidu

Telugu Desam Party president N. Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday asserted that the TDP would get more than the magic figure (148) in the present election and there were good indications available to this effect from the first phase.

Addressing a press conference at Gollapudi near here, Mr. Naidu said the TDP would achieve a ‘surprise figure’ that would reflect the amount of trust reposed by the people in the party. He said the positive schemes announced by the TDP, corruption and inefficient administration of the present regime would help the party win the election. Mr. Naidu stayed here for night halt after his roadshow in Krishna district before leaving for campaign in the neighbouring Guntur district. He could not address public meetings in Vijayawada Central and Vijayawada West Assembly constituencies on Tuesday night due to lack of time before the campaign deadline. He appealed to the people to vote for the Grand Alliance candidates in their respective constituencies in the city.

Stating that the Rajasekhara Reddy Government faced the wrath of the people for its various failures, Mr. Naidu said price rise and lack of measures to control this dealt a severe blow to the Government. “Rice that cost nearly Rs. 15 a kg when we were in power is now Rs. 35 a kg. Onions, salt, soaps and other items have also become very costly. Common man has suffered because of the government’s indifference,” he alleged. Mr. Naidu criticised the Chief Minister for neglecting people’s problems by giving preference to visiting and staying for most part of the time in the last five years in Delhi.

The Congress was now in self-defence due to a certain defeat in the first phase of elections and the Chief Minister was making various statements only because of this fear. Mr. Naidu asserted that every Telugu person had a right to live in Hyderabad and nobody could object. He questioned the rationale behind the Chief Minister’s controversial statement about Andhra region people facing the danger of being looked at as foreigners in the State capital in the event of Grand Alliance being elected to power. “The Telugu Desam Party will continue to shoulder the task of protecting the rights of Telugu people all over the world,” he said.

Mr. Naidu claimed tremendous response to the cash transfer scheme that seeks to pay Rs. 1,000 to Rs. 2,000 a month to poor families. This was the first of its kind scheme in the country and the TDP would press for its implementation everywhere once a coalition government came to power at the Centre with its support.