Keep off lobbying against me, Chandrababu Naidu tells Governor

Dwarapudi (East Godavari): In what sounded like a distant echo from the days of NTR in 1980s, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has hit out at the institution of the Governor, contending that it was not fair for the present incumbent to dabble in politics against him.

The Chief Minister, while addressing a public meeting here on the occasion of National Panchayat Raj Day on Tuesday, recalled how the TDP founder-president, who was also his father-in-law, had come down on the institution of the Governor when it acted on behalf of the Centre during his days.

Though Naidu did not mention NTR's demand for abolition of the institution of the Governor, he, however, disapproved of the present Governor trying his hand in engineering a realignment of political parties for the benefit of the BJP.

"You should be around me like a human shield and protect me as the Centre has begun attacking me," Naidu said, referring to the people, but did not elaborate the form in which attacks were taking place on him.

The Chief Minister, while interacting with leaders of Chittoor district over teleconference from Amaravati earlier in the day, regretted the Governor doing the spade work for the Centre by trying to get parties amenable to the BJP on side of the political spectrum.

Naidu, at the public meeting at Dwarapudi, said the Centre was not being honest or committed to its professions of dealing with those who are involved in financial crimes.

On one had they say they would deal with those who were involved in bank scams with an iron hand and on the other, they remain pally with such people and allow access to them to the Prime Minister's Office, he said in an oblique reference to YSRCP chief Jaganmohan Reddy.

Naidu warned the BJP against trying to pull off political operations of the likes of Tamil Nadu against him since these tricks will not work in Andhra Pradesh. "People are enlightened and they can see through your game," Naidu said in reference to the Centre trying to prop up others against him to scuttle his popularity.

He said the BJP was trying to derail development process initiated by him in the state as he had dumped the saffron party and walked out of the NDA government. "I had got out of the NDA bandwagon because it had taken the state for a ride after making several promises including granting SCS," he said.

Naidu did not spare either YSRCP or Jana Sena. "How can YSRCP blame me for everything that has gone awry? What moral right does YSRCP have to target me at a time when its leader is neck deep in cases. The BJP is backing him as he makes wild allegations against me," he said and in the same breath came down on Pawan Kalyan for turning against him after being with him for four years.