TDP national president and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has formally launched the party’s biennial membership enrolment drive.
At a programme organised near his residence at Undavalli in Guntur district on Tuesday, Mr. Naidu paid Rs.100 to renew his membership for the years 2017 and 2018. The new card and receipt for the same were issued to him on the spot.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Naidu said that the party’s membership touched 55 lakh, including 8 lakh in Telangana, last time. The TDP was not setting any target this year, but would ensure enrolment of as many people as possible.
“Every eligible person should be given membership without scope for favouritism. Quality and not quantity should be the watchword. Do not pressurise anybody to take membership. It should be voluntary,” Mr. Naidu said. “I don’t want to hear comments that pensioners are being forced to take membership. Serious action will be taken against those violating this norm,” he added. Cautioning against giving scope for criticism that TDP leaders were corrupt, Mr. Naidu said that the bottom line should be that 90 per cent of people favoured the Telugu Desam politically.
The party would impart training in skill development and capacity-building. All assistance would be provided to those interested in self-employment. But the party would not help bag contracts or bail out those involved in corrupt practices, he made it clear. Acknowledging that party cadre had been the real strength of the TDP, he said that the party was taking care of loyal workers. The party was providing insurance cover to the workers, besides taking care of the education and marriage expenses of children of the workers, Mr. Naidu said. TDP national general secretary Nara Lokesh, A.P. president Kala Venkat Rao, Telangana president L. Ramana, Ministers P. Pulla Rao and Devineni Umamaheswara Rao, and Warehousing Corporation Chairman L.V.S.R.K. Prasad were present. Doing away with receipt books, the TDP is using tablets up to the district level in the membership drive. The data will be available online on real-time basis, which is probably the first-of-its-kind initiative by any political party. The membership drive would continue till November-end.
