KAKINADA: Telugu Desam general secretary Nara Lokesh said on Sunday that the Yuvagalam Padayatra has taught him how to lead the people and gave him an occasion to see the several development programmes taken up by the Telugu Desam governments in the past.
Lokesh addressed the party’s Mahanadu meet on its second day, which also marked the birth centenary of Telugu Desam founder NT Rama Rao, at Vemagiri near Rajamahendravaram. “During the padayatra, I was surprised at the huge response from the people to my father’s development programmes. That made me think that a leader should be like Chandrababu Naidu.”
He said that when he started the Padayatra, YSRC leaders like Peddireddy Ramachandra had dissuaded him from continuing it. Now, those YSRC leaders folded their tails like cats and ran away, he said.
“Many of the TD workers and leaders were murdered, harassed and tortured in many ways by the YSRC leaders. I will not leave such assailants whether they are in America or Amalapuram. They would be arrested and sent to jail as per the laws of the land,” he said.
Lokesh said chief minister Jagan Reddy was implementing the “Rajareddy Constitution’’ but he would follow the Ambedkar Constitution “when the Telugu Desam assumes power after the next elections.”
“It is my responsibility to protect the interests of the Telugu Desam workers and leaders,” he said.
The TD leader said, “Jagan doesn’t know how to rule the state. Jagan is an expert in painting. “When Chandrababu constructed one lakh TIDCO houses for the poor, Jagan painted them and claimed the houses were part of his housing scheme. There is a big conspiracy behind Jagan's housing scheme.”
“Some YSRC leaders bought land at cheap prices and sold them at higher prices to the government. This, actually, is a '7,000 crore scam. The poor can’t borrow '10 lakh at '2 per cent interest per day and they can’t build the houses. Based on the financial weakness of the beneficiaries, the YSRC leaders hatched a conspiracy to purchase the houses from them at cheaper prices.”
He mocked the fixing of stickers to these houses by the ruling party leaders.
The Hindupuram MLA and actor N Balakrishna said he was fortunate to have NT Rama Rao as his father. NTR was a legend, visionary, an inspiration to others with his good character, discipline, individuality etc. Chandrababu developed the two Telugu states with his vision. Now, Jagan Reddy destroyed all the systems.”
“No new industry is coming up in the state, and the existing industries are also being transplanted to other states. This would lead to unemployment. Andhra Pradesh is now in the forefront in Ganja and drugs use.”
Telugu Desam state president K Achannaidu said Telugu Desam would win 160 assembly seats in the coming elections and Chandrababu Naidu would develop the state. He said that Jagan was the richest chief minister.
TD’s Telangana state president Kasani Jnaneswar said the Telugu Desam would come to power in AP. MLAs Nimmakayala Rajappa, Buchaiah Chowdary, former ministers Satyanarayana Murthy, Ayyanna Patrudu and others spoke.
