Seeking to clear the air of apprehensions about his election to the Rajya Sabha (RS) from Rajasthan instead of Karnataka, Union Minister for Urban Development and Parliamentary Affairs M. Venkaiah Naidu said there was nothing much to read between the lines as he himself had decided to move to other States.
“There was false propaganda in the social media that I always speak about and get things done for Telugu States at the cost of development in Karnataka. Those who spoke against my candidature to the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka would do well to remember that mine is a national vision. I stopped contesting direct elections long back as I didn’t want to be confined to a particular constituency. I thought it appropriate to give chance to newcomers having got elected thrice to the Upper House from Karnataka,” he observed.
Speaking at a Meet and Greet programme organised here on the occasion of his election to RS, Mr. Venkaiah Naidu said he was accused of moving closely with Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to enlist his support (for re-election to the RS) but that allegation lacked substance.
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“It is because as a former national president of BJP and with nearly four-decades of experience in politics, I need not depend on other parties to achieve such personal goals,” he said. He was a man who fought for democratic values and stuck to ethics throughout his political career.