Chandrababu Naidu steps up attack on Narendra Modi, his party

Tirupati: Stepping up his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said that his party lost considerable seats by associating with the BJP in 2014 elections.

Speaking at the public meeting in Madnapalle as part of Nava Nirmana Deeksha on Thursday, Naidu said, “We would have got 15-20 seats more in the election if we have not allied with the BJP” and hastened to say, “joining with the BJP is not for the sake of me but for protecting the state interests and hoping for a better cooperation from the Centre for state progress.”

Despite his 29 visits to Delhi to press for Special Category Status (SCS), Naidu said the BJP government remained unmoved and later assured to give special package. Even that was also not given, even as 11 states enjoying it which forced him to severe the alliance with the BJP, Naidu said.

To teach a lesson to Modi for betraying the state, he said TDP moved no confidence motion which received overwhelming response from the all parties rattling the BJP, proving the might of Telugus.

Naidu added, “We also saw the BJP humiliated in Karnataka by defeating it in the election with the support of Telugus seething with anger and keen on teaching the saffron party an unforgettable lesson for letting down Andhra Pradesh.”

Turning his gun on YSRCP, he dubbed it as a ‘drama party’ indulging in non-stop tricks to hoodwink the people. Citing the party MPs resignation, Naidu alleged that BJP saw accepting the resignation delayed avoiding election along with Karnataka to avoid a crushing defeat to save their faces.

Now with no chance of holding byelection, both the BJP and YSRCP cleverly escaped from facing the wrath of people, he averred. Without naming Jana Sena party chief Pawan Kalyan, he said some people were trying to provoke people on caste lines while some on the religion grounds, but all their attempts will not succeed.

Before winding up his long speech, Naidu spoke on the recent developments in Tirumala temple and took a dig at former chief priest A V Ramana Deekshitulu for his allegations against him and marring the image of shrine. “The priest also met YSRCP president at Hyderabad today and earlier many leaders. He seems to be resorting to all tactics and pressures, but no one can do any harm to me as I am an ardent devotee of Lord Venkateswara with immense faith on him.”

“Even the claymore mines triggered by the Maoist at Alipiri failed to kill me,’’ he said asserting that all the efforts to dislodge him remain futile. In this connection, Naidu levelled a serious allegation that BJP through backdoor tried to get control of the Tirumala temple by shooting a letter from Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) but miserably failed after the upsurge from the Telugus. “This is the prowess of Telugus which the BJP should never forget,’’ he said.