The nine-year Congress rule was steeped in corruption while the Telugu Desam during its long stint with party founder N.T. Rama Rao and later N. Chandrababu Naidu provided a clean administration, party leaders said at the mini Mahanadu that began with Visakhapatnam South constituency amid fanfare on Friday.
Polit Bureau member Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, who hoisted the party flag and garlanded the statue of NTR, said people lost confidence in the Congress because of the scandals involving land allotments and tainted ministers. At the Centre, 2G spectrum allocation and coal scams exposed the Manmohan Singh government, he alleged.
Mr. Ramakrishnudu said during the rule of NTR or Mr. Chandrababu Naidu, ministers never received summons from the CBI. Fed up with corruption, people were ready to vote out the Congress. While Praja Rajyam with pretension to power in the last election folded up within no time and merged with the Congress, YSR Congress was now going through the same slide, the TDP leader said. Former MP M V V S Murti said the mood of the people was for change of governments at the Centre and the State.
Both the governments were in a limbo and the Congress party lacked discipline and direction and was caught neck-deep in corruption. In contrast, the TDP provided a clean administration, he added.
TDP (Urban) president Vasupalli Ganesh Kumar said the Congress’ corruption was exposed and people were looking towards the TDP. The State was in need of a rule of an economist like Mr. Chandrababu Naidu, he said.
With dances to songs from NTR films and in tribal attire the mini Mahanadu was a colourful affair.
