BJP lacks ethics: Chandrababu Naidu

S Kota (Vizianagaram): Pledging not to rest until he took Andhra Pradesh to the top position in India, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday said he was not afraid of the BJP at the Centre regardless of how long it would continue its attempts to derail the growth of the state.

Addressing a public meeting here after taking part in Rachchabanda, he said the BJP, in fact, with its lopsided and ill-advised policies like the demonetisaion of high value currency notes, had sent not only the state’s but also the country's growth on a downward spiral. "Even now we could see the after-effects of demonetisation. People are struggling to withdraw their money from banks and ATMs," he said.

Unleashing a torrent of invective at the BJP for its “corrupt character”, Naidu said its true colours became known when it attempted to purchase MLAs in Karnataka to pass the trial of strength in the Assembly but could not succeed. "The TDP never encouraged such unethical practices," he said, adding that the TDP always stood for a corruption-free society and that it would never support anyone who turns venal.

Naidu reiterated that the YSRCP and the Jana Sena had joined forces to work against the TDP’s interests at the instance of the BJP at the Centre. All the three parties are conspiring against the TDP government in the state, but their antics would not succeed in Andhra Pradesh, he said.

Referring to the welfare programmes taken up in the state, Naidu said that his government was committed to paying unemployment allowance to the youth and supporting the farm sector by waiving agriculture loans of farmers. "At present 50 lakh people are getting social security pensions in the state," he said.

Naidu said that since he had to put in extra effort to develop the state as it remained at the receiving end after bifurcation in 2014, he had kick-started economic activities in all sectors. "If the state clocked double digit growth, it was because of the pro-active role the government had played.

At a time when the nation's growth average was three percent in agriculture sector in 2017-18, the state's growth rate was 17 per cent,” he said, adding: "My aim is to turn agriculture into profitable avocation for the farmer."

Earlier, speaking at Rachchabanda, he said that he wants to rebuild the state as early as possible. “I have been working to reconstruct our state after bifurcation but the centre is not supporting me. Though I visited Delhi 29 times, the Prime minister did not extend any support. We, then, realised that it was a deliberate act and parted company with the NDA,” he said.