An air of festivity pervaded Naravaripalle, situated on the outskirts of Tirupati, as Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, accompanied by his family members, took part in the Sankranthi celebrations at his native village here on Monday. For the past few years, Mr. Naidu made it a practice to celebrate the ‘festival of harvest’ with his family members at his ancestral home, located 20 km from Tirupati in Chandragiri constituency of Chittoor district. Accompanied by the family of his brother-in-law and Hindupur MLA N. Balakrishna, Mr. Naidu along with his family members, offered prayers at the temple of Nagalamma, as a part of long-standing tradition. They also garlanded the statue of Telugu Desam founder president and actor N.T. Rama Rao and later paid tributes at the ‘samadhi’ of his parents.
Dressed in traditional attire, they further extended greetings to the people, including other family members and friends. The village was abuzz with activity owing to Sankranthi festivities and was decorated colourfully to mark the occasion.
With several people showing inclination to visit their native villages and spend some quality time with their loved ones during the festive season, Mr. Naidu opined that it was a welcoming trend and would, on behalf of the State government, ensure measures to develop the rural infrastructure. He, along with IT Minister Nara Lokesh, took representations from people who reached to their residence.
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Jagan greets people
Meanwhile, YSRCP president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, who was in Chittoor district as a part of his ongoing ‘Praja Sankalpa Yatra’, took part in the Sankranthi celebrations near Parakalva cross area of Ramachandrapuram mandal in Chandragiri constituency, a few km away from Mr. Naidu’s native village. Giving a brief halt to his walkathon, Mr. Reddy, who was dressed in traditional attire, garlanded the statue of former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy and offered new clothes. He later interacted with people and extended greetings to them.