Lower level cadre and leaders are sincere and hardworking, but the whims and fancies of Assembly-level leaders are harming the interests of the party, said a party leader from Bheeminipatnam constituency Padal Sanyasi Naidu during an interaction with party president N. Chandrababu Naidu organised on the premises of Emanuel College of Education at Tamaram near here on Friday.
Mr. Naidu heard frank opinions from the mandal-level leaders, who spoke on the state of affairs of the party. Another leader from Anandapuram mandal straightaway said that imposing a candidate new to the constituency was the reason for the defeat in Bheemili, which was a party stronghold. Another from Bheemili mandal wanted film star Balakrishna be given more role to strengthen the party.
When Gadu Venkata Naidu said he had exposed a scam in the housing scheme and ensured genuine beneficiaries were given the benefits, Mr. Naidu said he would like to hear more success stories. “But many people are giving me sermons,” he said.
He found that leaders were not working while the lower rung workers active and sincere. “If you put in five per cent of what I am doing, the party would triumph in the elections,” he said.
Earlier, during a meeting with important leaders of Srikakulam district, held in his air-conditioned bus, Mr. Naidu reportedly told them that there was a gap between the leaders and party workers. “This gap has to be filled,” he said. With three MLAs shifting their loyalties, Mr. Naidu asked Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy, B. Umamahesawara Rao along with Kala Venkata Rao, G.S.S. Sivaji and Achim Naidu to go to the constituencies after the padayatra and plan the party’s strategy there. Former speaker K. Pratibha Bharati and K. Manohar Naidu, son of late leader K. Yerrannaidu, also met Mr. Naidu. Former Minister Tammeneni Sitaram was not present.
