Wherever you go in the State today you will find plenty of liquor but no water. Such is the pathetic condition of Andhra Pradesh,” said Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu who returned to Hyderabad after successful completion of his 2,800-km Padyatra or walkathon on Sunday.
Naidu, who was given a rousing reception by thousands of his party workers and supporters at the Hyderabad International Airport upon return from Visakhapatanam on Sunday, said that it pained him immensely to see how the people across the State specially in the rural areas were suffering due to the failure of the Congress Government and rampant corruption.
“Today Andhra Pradesh has turned in to Andhera Pradesh (the state of darkness)”, he rued. “But I promise to bring back the State which I had left nine years ago,” he said.
63-year-old Naidu’s “Vastunna…meekosam” (I am coming for you) padyatra was historic in the sense that no politician before him undertook such a long visit in State’s history. Earlier, Congress leader and former Chief Minister YS Rajashekhar Reddy had walked for 1,600 kms in 1993. Now his daughter Sharmila was trying to undertake even longer walk.
At the end of his 2817 kms and 208 days long walk by unveiling a 64-feet high pylon and a huge public meeting in Visakhapatanam on Saturday.
Naidu appeared elated and gung-ho that his Padyatra was able to rejuvenate his party’s rank and file and put the party on the track ahead of next elections. He exuded confidence that the party will return to power in the coming Assembly elections.
“We will wage a dharmayuddham along with the masses to save the State from the clutches of Congress party,” Naidu said. “We will win this mass struggle with the people’s support,” he added.
lashing out at all political opponents, Naidu said ruling Congress party was drenched in corruption. “Jagan’s party (YSRCP) is a party of looters and Telangana Rashtra Samiti was a farm house party,” he said.
“On the other hand, Telugu Desam provided a clean Government which put Hyderabad city on the world map and developed it in to a big destination of foreign investments,” said Naidu, who ruled the State as Chief Minister from 1995 to 2004 before loosing to Congress in two subsequent elections.
Alleging that the law and order situation in Hyderabad had worsened, Naidu said that terrorism and rowdyism was on the rise. Recalling that Hyderabad was rocked by repeated bomb blasts during the Congress rule, he promised to eradicate the menace of terrorism. “There were blasts in Mecca Masjid, lumbini Park, Gokul Chat and now in Dilsukhnagar”, he said.
On the other hand, Naidu said TDP rule was marked by all round development of Hyderabad. “International Airport, Outer Ring Road, Cyber Tower, every thing was built during the TDP rule,” he said.
Naidu was brought in a massive procession to the venue of the public meeting at Shamshabad marking the successful completion of his walk. Popular film star Balakrishna was among the leaders who welcomed Naidu.
Talking about his Padyatra, which started on October 2 last year from Hindupur in Anantapur district and ended in Visakhapatanam on Saturday, Naidu said that it was the suffering of the people which made his walk all the way. “Such a long and unprecedented walk was possible only with the support of my party workers and the masses’, he said.
In Visakhapatanam, he addressed a mammoth gathering assuring the people that he will fulfill all the promise made during his walkathon.
The promise he made including writing off all the agricultural loans and remunerative prices to farmers, closure of the liquor shops in the villages, special court to try cases of violence against women, monthly unemployment allowance for the educated youth, sub plans of Rs 10,000 crore for Backward Classes and reservation for Kapu caste.
Poll fever grips State, albeit prematurely
Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh appears to be in the grip of poll fever, although prematurely. If the leader of the main Opposition Telugu Desam party and former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has created a stir by completing his historic 2,800 kms long walkathon, Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) has launched its own campaign with its 13th annual conference and the YSR Congress party president Vijayalakshmi has launched her own public contact program “Rachabanda” or “Village Square”. It has come at a time when another YSR Congress leader Sharmila was on statewide walk.
Not to be left behind Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy was also on a public contact program through “Amma Hastham” and was undertaking whirlwind tours of the districts.
TRS President K Chandrashekhar Rao, who was elected as party president for seventh straight term at party’s annual conference in Armoor town of Nizamabad district gave a call to the people to ensure that his party wins at least 1000 Assembly seats and 17 lok Sabha seats to it could achieve separate Telangana State. Among the long list of populist promises he made, the most striking was one third reservations to the backward classes in the legislative bodies.
KCR also promised to make Telangana state power surplus in mere five years, free education from KG to PG (Post graduation), 12 per cent reservations for the tribals and two bed room house for the poor. TRS Conference was attended by 30,000 delegates from all over Telangana region. PNS