Three-day Mahanadu or annual conference of ruling Telugu Desam Party on Sunday concluded in the temple town of Tirupati with the party president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu vowing to build a poverty-free and equal society and turn AP into a model State for the entire country.
The conference set the target of 15 per cent annual growth rate of Andhra Pradesh to make it the top most State in the country by year 2029 and one of the top three States by 2023.
Delivering his concluding address on Sunday afternoon before the thousands of party delegates from AP and Telangana, Naidu said the party’s selfless and sincere workers were his real strengths. “The party and its workers are more dear to me than my own family”, he said even as his only son and party national general secretary N lokesh was also cynosure of all eyes at the Mahanadu.
“The party was struggling to build a society where there will be no poverty and misery. I will always stand by the poor people. I will be like the eldest son of every poor family in the State”, he said. He recalled that it was the TDP which enhanced the pension of the poor from Rs200 to Rs1,000 per month.
Praising the sacrifices of the party cadres to make it stronger, Naidu said, “Party workers are life to me and because of them we could achieve global recognition. I will be indebted to them till my last breath. I am not hungry for power”, he said.
Chandrababu urged the party workers to upgrade their skills and talents. “In present scientific world nothing can be achieved without innovation”, he said. Apart from reviewing the performance, development and welfare policies and programs of the TDP Government in Andhra Pradesh and laying guidelines for the future, the Mahanadu also discussed the political situation in Telangana where the party was on the verve of extinction because of the large scale defections to the ruling Telanganan Rashtra Samiti (TRS).
The conference also discussed the various disputes between the two Telugu States including the raging issue of sharing of Krishna and Godavari river waters.
Chief Minister Naidu urged his Telangana counterpart K Chandrasekhar Rao not to take up the irrigation projects unilaterally. In his remarks over a resolution on Telangana irrigation projects Naidu said that Telangana Government can continue the work on the irrigation projects which were taken up in united Andhra Pradesh. But suggested that the new projects should be first discussed in the apex committee comprising of the two Chief Minister.
Naidu's son Nara lokesh, who spoke on the last day of the Mahanadu on Sunday promised that he will never commit any mistake which can bring a bad name to his father CM Chandrababu Naidu or the party. lokesh vowed that whether he occupies any post or not he will never act in a manner which can bring a bad name.
“I am son of the Chief Minister but not a single allegation of corruption leveled against me. On the other hand Jaganmohan Reddy (YSR Congress President) misused his father's power and indulged in massive corruption of thousands of crores”, lokesh said.
He also lashed out at the TRS Government in Telangana. He said that the TRS leaders were targeting the TDP as Andhra party while the fact was that the TDP was born in Telangana.
“All the TRS leaders were once in the TDP and lagter left the party”, he said. He urged the TDP workers in Telangana to strive hard with the goal of wining 2019 elections in the state.
In GHMC elections TDP polled the largest number of votes after the TRS, he stressed adding that whatever development took place in Hyderabad was during the TDP rule.
Telangana TDP working president A Revanth Reddy demanded the TRS government should fulfill the promise of granting 12 per cent reservations to the Scheduled Tribes and the Minorities each. He also wanted the State Government to deposit Rs15 lakh in the account of every tribal family.
During the conference 380 members made huge contributions to the party fund over the last three days and Rs11.55 crore was collected from the members.