BJP's next target may be AP, feels Chandrababu Naidu

Vijayawada: Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu lambasted the BJP for its power politics in Karnataka. Speaking here on Saturday, the CM alleged that the BJP in Karnataka was using the same strategy that it used in Tamil Nadu, and that the party may set its sights next on Andhra Pradesh.

Mr Naidu said that Karnataka’s Telugu population responded positively to his call to not vote for the BJP. The winner in the end was democracy, he observed. “BJP president Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi prompted me to sit for a Dharma Porata Deeksha on my birthday,” Mr Naidu said.

The CM came down heavily on the BJP, accusing it of initiating unethical politics in Karnataka, and urged party cadre and leaders to be cautious about the party’s moves. “With Yeddyurappa resigning as CM, the Karnataka BJP lost its ground in the South,” Mr Naidu reportedly shared his views with available ministers in the Capital. The CM also reminded party men about the BJP’s warnings to the TD after the Karnataka elections. “The people of Karnataka have taught a lesson to the BJP and also the Telugu voters have given a perfect verdict by defeating BJP candidates, wherever there was a Telugu presence,” Mr Naidu observed.

He also suggested party leaders to display videos of PM Narendra Modi’s Tirupati visit, on all possible platforms. “The Prime Minister had promised Lord Venkateshwara that he would implement all promises made in the AP Reorganisation Act in letter and spirit,” Mr Naidu said, and added that the video should be circulated at every village. “By doing so, in this election year, we should sensitise people,” he said.

The CM also wants to send out a message as to how a world-class capital could be constructed at Amaravati with just Rs 1,500 crore. He also said people should question how spending Rs 2,500 on a statue in Gujarat can be justified. The CM also pressed for the need for the party to intensify its social media presence and expose the betrayal politics of the BJP.