Desam goes national

• Telugu-speaking people of two States are equal and TDP will continue with its two-eye policy
• Mahanadu adopts changes in the rules and regulations of the party constitution

Gandipet: The Three-day Mahanadu of the Telugu Desam Party took a historical decision to transform itself into a national party. The 34th Mahanadu adopted changes in the rules and regulations of the party constitution. The resolution was moved by party president N Chandrababu Naidu to this affect. This paves the way for Telugu Desam to initiate the process of becoming a national party.

Inaugurating the party’s three-day annual meet, Naidu said that the TDP which was formed as a regional party played a pivotal role in national politics during its 34-year journey. At one point of time it was the largest opposition party in Lok Sabha. At the State-level it was catapulted into power within nine months of formation by founder president N T Rama Rao and ruled the State till 2004.

In the post bifurcation scenario, the TDP came back to power in Andhra Pradesh and in Telangana it is playing the role of opposition. Since the party was enjoying strong support in T state, Naidu said he considered AP and Telangana were the two eyes for him.

He said when he advocated his ‘two-eye theory’, much before the bifurcation of united Andhra Pradesh all other parties heckled and made fun of him. The Congress and the TRS targeted the Telugu Desam and wanted to decimate it but all their efforts had failed.

He said the TDP continues to believe in the two-eye theory and would now get transformed into a national party. But he said he was not a person who would change his policies. For him the Telugu-speaking people of both the States were equal and hence his party would continue with its two-eye policy. Not just that, the party would now expand its base to the neighboring states, the TDP chief said.

After becoming the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh he had been lobbying strongly to get sufficient funds for both the Telugu-speaking States from the Centre and has been pleading with the Central government for equal treatment in regard to development of the two states. Naidu said. “TDP is the only party that protects the self-respect and pride of Telugus across the world and does not believe in playing with sentiment,” he added.

Naidu said that TTDP unit would wage ‘uncompromising battle’ against TRS-led government’s anti-people policies and would continue to fight until the promises made by the ruling party are fulfilled. He said that the TRS lacked clarity on the development of Telangana. It was the TDP which developed Telangana by creating world class Cyberabad city and completed many pending irrigation projects such as Bheema, Nettempadu, Devadula and Kalwakurthi during its regime.

He said his party was not against the TRS government but against its policies. The TDP, he said, already extended cooperation to the TRS government for the development of the two States by resolving contentious issues in power and education sectors. Reiterating that he was ready for an open debate on the development of Telangana, the TDP leader said his party also came to the rescue of farmers in distress in the T state and the families of the victims who committed suicide unable to pay their debts.

In a scathing attack on TRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao on encouraging defections from the TDP, Naidu said his party would not be cowed down by such ‘cheap politics.’