‘Need for a visionary leader’

Srikakulam: Raising the campaign pitch, TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday called upon the people to decide if they want a visionary leader or an illusionary leader to lead the residuary state after June 2.

The focus of Naidu’s emotion-packed one-hour speech was mainly targeted at AICC president Sonia Gandhi. Holding her responsible for dividing the Telugu people, Naidu said the country does not require an Italian to run the affairs and asked the people to dump the Congress in such a manner that it will never be able to revive.

Naidu called upon the people, particularly the youth whose future has been affected following the bifurcation of the state, to go round the villages carrying TDP flag and tell the people why it was necessary for TDP to come to power with absolute majority. Any wavering of thought at this point of time would spell doom for the people and the State of Andhra Pradesh that would come into existence after June 2, he said.

The TDP president said he was committed to work for the welfare of the people. “I have no personal ambitions and there is no need for me to become the Chief Minister. Even if I do not work, my family can take care of me, but my passion to convert the residual state into a most prosperous state is driving me to fight the elections,” he said. He said he has been going round the region to explain the injustice that was meted out to the people by the Congress while dividing the state.

The TDP president said that Srikakulam has always been a fortress for the party. Recalling the services rendered by K Yerrannaidu who died in a road accident, Naidu said he would take the responsibility to fulfil the dreams and aspirations of Yerrannaidu. Every party worker should take it up as a challenge and bring TDP back to power,” he said.

Addressing the women, he said when they buy vegetables they take absolute care to see that there are no rotten vegetables. Similarly, before voting, they should ensure that they select the best candidates, he said.

Enthused by the large turnout, Naidu said the TDP would introduce a new scheme, ‘NTR Canteen’, where poor people would get meals for Rs 5. He also promised to include Kalinga Vysyas in the list of BCs.

Lashing out at TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao, Naidu said KCR was a ‘Vasoolraja’ and that he has proved that he can never keep his word. He promised to make a BC candidate the first Chief Minister but has gone back on his word, Naidu alleged. The TDP president said KCR had used a ‘Ramabanam’ in Telangana saying that a BC will be the first Chief Minister of T state if voted to power and even people like KCR will not be able to survive it. He further said Jagan was a ‘psycho’ and hence people should be careful of him.Hitting out at the Congress, he said it was a ‘mountain of corruption’. While Sonia was spearheading the corrupt party at the Centre, local leader and former minister Dharmana Prasad Rao was a fountain of corruption at the state-level, he added.