Will bounce back in TS, says Naidu

Khammam: The Telugu Desam Party made a re-entry into Telangana from Khammam on Wednesday with a massive public meeting. TDP national president N Chandrababu Naidu, who was to address the meeting around 5 pm, was over two hours behind the schedule.

After a break of about seven years, there were huge crowds on both sides of road to the venue of the TDP meeting though the party do not have an MLA, MLC or MP in Khammam. Those who had won on the TDP ticket had migrated to other parties. Naidu said this meeting was the answer for all who asked where is the TDP. Interestingly, Naidu pitched for the setting up of Bayyaram steel plant in his speech.

Indicating that the TDP is now determined to be back in Telangana and regain its lost glory, the TDP chief appealed to the party workers and leaders to get re-activated. He said if the cadre becomes active, leaders from among them would emerge in Telangana. For the benefit of the present generation, he recalled how N T Rama Rao had left his lucrative film career and started the Telugu Desam Party to restore the self-respect of the Telugus in the 80's and created history by coming to power in just nine months.

Naidu recalled the revolutionary reforms introduced by NTR which included Rs 2 a kg rice, equal rights for women in property, housing scheme for the poor, mandal system of governance and setting up of Gurukul schools which the Centre had later adopted.

He said that he added the concept of self-confidence to self-respect of Telugus and created Hi-Tec city in Hyderabad and narrated how he had struggled to get Microsoft and other companies and thereby created an ecosystem for future growth and employment opportunities for the youth. The credit of International Airport and ORR also goes to the TDP, he said.

Naidu expressed happiness that all successive governments took forward the works started by him unlike in Andhra Pradesh where the YSRCP government had destroyed all good work done after the bifurcation in Andhra Pradesh.

He said it was his vision which made Genome valley a reality and at that time no one knew Covid would attack us. Two decades later, the same genome valley produced vaccine to fight Covid which is considered to be the most effective one in the world.

Referring to the Centre's appeal for taking preventive measures as a new variant was threatening the country, Naidu appealed to the people to get vaccinated and stay safe.

Referring to the statement by YSRCP leaders in Andhra Pradesh that both states would again unite, he said that it would never happen. The TDP however wants that both Telugu states should be among the top two states in development in the country.