Mammoth crowd greets Naidu

Where is the AP which I left behind 9 years ago? Perhaps Chandrababu Nadiu has been waiting for this day. Out of power for nine long years, he was looking for a congregation packed with leaders and party workers drawn from all parts of the State to set a new agenda for the party in the run up to the next year's general elections. Not showing any signs of fatigue, the 63-year-old Babu looked fresh and was impressed with the crowd which assembled at the Andhra University Engineering College grounds on Saturday evening.

He described it as a historic event which brought people close to him and narrated their desperate lives which they have been leading under the Congress party. "There was Nilam cyclone, blast in Hyderabad and yet I decided to carry on with my padayatra as I felt the poor needed a shoulder to lean on,'' Babu said. He said he felt immense pain in the body and legs midway and doctors and senior party leaders advised him to call off the yatra in the interest of the party. But it was the tears which made him continue with the walk and learn more about the present situation in the State which he could not have known sitting in Hyderabad. Listing out the problems the people have been facing, he said he saw farmers waiting in the fields during middle of night for the current supply to resume and old women reeling under the pranks of hunger pain. The young girls were crying for security and youth craving for jobs, he said.

"The State is going through most difficult times with no power, insecurity to women, industrial sickness, unemployment, increasing prices of essential commodities, farmers under the grip of loans and suppression of Dlaits and Scheduled Tribes,'' he said. Almost announcing the manifesto for the next elections, Babu said farmers loans in all the banks would be waived and they would be rescued by all means to bring back the agriculture production back on the tracks. The TDP supremo stressed more on the farmers issues as many say he was thrown out of power for neglecting the agriculture. He also came down on the implementation of the health insurance scheme Arogyasri and promised that a new comprehensive health scheme would be introduced to cover all the diseases and all sections of the society. He said the other priority for the party would be protection of women and girl child who were being subjected to sexual attack. ``Wherever I went the young girls wanted nothing from the government but physical security which the party would definitely take care of after assuming power,'' he said. The party president revived the categorization issue and stated that Telugu Desam was for categorization of Scheduled Castes into four categories. It does not mean that the party was against one section of the Dalits.

Naidu's show all the wayA

• Few leaders manage to impress crowds
• Political heirs of leaders launched
• Harikrishna absence a big
• letdown Balayya fumbles for words, disappoints
• Yerran Jr steals show with stirring words
• Lokesh, though on the dais, did not address

Visakhapatnam: The mammoth public meeting marking the culmination of `Vastunna Meekosam' at the Andhra University Engineering College Grounds saw the launch of heirs of Telugu Desam Party leaders. Prior to the arrival of Chandrababu Naidu, heirs of Dadi Veerabhadra Rao and K Yerran Naidu were introduced to the huge gathering of leaders and cadres. After Revant Reddy launched his tirade against YSR family and Jagan, it was Yerran Naidu's son Rammohan Naidu (26) who impressed the meeting with his short speech. Rammohan, educated in England and US, did not fumble while describing the political scenario in the State in flawless Telugu. Paying rich tributes to his father and leadership of Naidu, he stressed the need to propel the party to power so as to regain the past glory of the State. However, Dadi Ratnakar, son of Veerabhadra Rao, failed to impress the crowd. Another young leader Ch Vijay, son of another former minister Ch Ayyanna Patrudu, was not given a chance to speak. Nara Lokesh � though people waited anxiously to hear him � did not speak despite being present on the dias. The biggest disappointment was the absence of Rajya Sabha member and politburo member Nandamuri Harikrishna, Another huge disappointment was actor Nandamuri Balakrishna. He fumbled for words and floundered while addressing the crowd who soon lost interest in his speech.

Dadi, Kadiam keep awayA Their absence adds to that of Harikrishna and Jr NTR Visakhapatnam/Warangal: Even as scores of TDP leaders and cadres eagerly looked to forward to participation of Politburo member Nandamuri Harikrishna and his star son Jr NTR and were disappointed, their woes did not end just at that. Even senior leaders like Former minister from Anakapalle, Dadi Veerabhadra Rao, and another Politburo member Kadiam Srihari were conspicuous by their absence. Though his son Ratnakar was present and given an opportunity to address the meet, Dadi failed to appear either at the pylon unveiling function or at the rally. He has been quite upset and appears not to have overcome huge disappointment over his name being dropped from the list of MLCs at the last minute. He is sore that despite his good performance as the Council floor leader and efforts to save precious government lands in Visakhapatnam, he was ignored by the party high command for another term. Rao, however, met the party president when he entered the district during his last leg of padayatra on April 25. From the beginning he is being sidelined due to his staunch loyalty to N T Rama Rao. In the case of Kadiam Srihari, the vituperative attack against him by another senior leader Motkupalli Narsimhulu and the party leadership's silence over the issue were said to be main factors that kept him away from prestigious meeting of Visakhapatnam. It may be recalled that recently he tore into Narsimhulu and advised him not to damage party's reputation by deriding senior leaders. Srihari also wanted the party to conduct an inquiry into how the minutes of party's internal meeting were leaked to the media, but was let down by it. When contacted by The Hans India over telephone, all he said was "I am hurt and I can't elaborate now."

'No tie-up with communal parties' Visakhapatnam: Telugu Desam supremo Nara Chandrabbu Naidu made it clear on Saturday that his party would not have any political tie-up with communal parties at the Center, scotching the speculation of alliance with BJP and its allies. Addressing a public meeting at the AU Engineering College Grounds on Saturday, he said the TDP would play a crucial role in the central politics. "Winning 35 seats in Lok Sabha in 1984, TDP supported VP Singh government and later the NDA government. But it does not mean we will support communal parties. Even in the next elections, we will play a major role in forming the government at the Center,'' he said. Coming down heavily on YS Jagan, he termed YSR Congress 'Pilla Congress' and said like the PRP, the YSRCP would also merge with the Congress. "Jagan said it in too many words that he will be supporting the Congress at the Center,'' he said. Speaking of TRS, he said K Chandrasekhar Rao was making an issue out of Bayyaram mines but the people wanted to know why he was silent when Congress government gave away the Obulapuram mines to Gali Janardhana Reddy. The TDP was the first political party to demand supply of ore from Bayyaram and Obulapuram to Visakhapatnam Steel plant, the told the thundering crowd. "The Telugu Desam is determined to protect Telugu pride and bring back its glory,'' he said.

Naidu, Balakrishna arrive in huge rally Visakhapatnam: Telugu Desam Party Supremo N Chandrababu Naidu accompanied by cine actor and brother-in-law Nandamuri Balakrishna arrived at the public meeting venue on the AU Engineering College Grounds two hours behind schedule here on Saturday. They were taken to venue in a huge motorcycle and car rally. The scale of the public meeting and presence of massive crowds are the first of their kind in the city. Sporting yellow caps and party flags, jubilant party workers and leaders took out the rally from the 'Vastunna Meekosam Pylon' at Aganampudi to the meeting venue. Naidu, Balakrishna and some senior leaders followed the rally in an open top vehicle. Thousands of party workers and people stood on either side of the national highway and cheered the leaders. Traditional and patriotic songs like 'Maa Telugu Talliki Malli Pudanda', 'Kadalirandi Telugu Desam Pilustondi' enthralled the waiting crowds. The TDP supremo's caravan arrived to a tumultuous welcome of party cadres and performances by cultural troupes of the party, under the supervision of Nagurbabu and Vandemataram Srinivas. Deafening slogans in praise of TDP and Naidu rent the air. Nara Bhuvaneswari, Nara Lokesh, Nara Brahamani, actor Murali Mohan, actress Kavitha, senior leaders Sujana Choudury, Tummala Nageswara Rao, Yenamala Ramakrishnudu, Revanth Reddy, P Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Chintakayala Ayyanna Patrudu, Bandaru Satyanarayana Murty, Nannapaneni Rajakumari, Sobha Hymavathi, Dadi Ratnakar, Vasupalli Ganesh Kumar, A Vani and Nargese welcomed Naidu at the venue. The entire meeting venue was jampacked with the audience, and the police had a tough time controlling the surging crowds.

Pylon becomes cynosure of all eyes Visakhapatnam: Huge crowds are thronging Aganampudi near Gajuwaka where a huge pylon has been set up to mark successful completion of 'Vastunna Meekosam' padayatra by TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu. Among the VIPs who visited the pylon included Nara Bhuvaneswari, Nara Lokesh, Nara Brahmani, Rajya Sabha Member Sujana Choudury, actor Murali Mohan, actress Kavitha, Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, Tummala Nageswara Rao, P Kesav, MLA P Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Nannapaneni Rajakumari. Life size statues of Mahatma Gandhi, Dr B R Ambedkar, Jyotirao Phule, N T Rama Rao and K Yerrannaidu, made by a noted sculptor Devaguptapu Rajkumar Vudayar from East Godavari district, were erected on the premises. Meanwhile, a team of party workers from Kakinada led by East Godavari urban district president D Ramana Raju made a sand sculpture on the Rama Krishna Beach to mark the event. It is inscribed that 'Chandrababu Naidu's life is dedicated to you' and '2,800 km long yatra in 208 days by 64 year-old.'