The Telugu Desam Party received a boost in the district ahead of the by-elections when party president N. Chandrababu Naidu's election meetings witnessed enthusiastic turnout.
The party struggled to attract the attention of the people during its campaign for the 2010 by-poll when it faced difficulties in canvassing for its candidates. From a sedate start at Enugonda, the first halt in the town, the attendance at the road shows picked up towards the evening as the convoy passed through the main thoroughfares.
While there was a mixed response to Mr. Naidu and TDP candidate P. Chandrasekhar's speeches in some parts, the TDP president had to stop his speech abruptly at New Town Circle, when a police officer objected to his public address on the ground that the party had not applied for permission. Mr. Naidu resumed his address to people at Saddala Gundu and other places where the turnout was moderate to impressive as the road show crisscrossed the main streets.
Mr. Naidu said the by-elections in Telangana never helped the cause of statehood to the region and it had, in fact, helped Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) president K. Chandrasekhar Rao and his family members to prosper. “TRS is only interested in seats, votes and notes and not in realising Telangana,” he alleged.
Though Mr. Rao was elected to the Lok Sabha from Mahabubnagar so that he could raise the problems of the people in Parliament, he neither went to Parliament nor came to Palamuru. “He preferred sleeping in his farm house,” the TDP chief said.
Mr. Naidu said the TDP had brought drinking water to Mahabubnagar from Ramanpadu project in 1998. But lack of its augmentation by the Congress rulers for the last eight years had resulted in people getting water only once a week. Even KCR had deceived people on that account, he said.
Turning to the BJP, Mr. Naidu criticised the party for its efforts to secure electoral gains by fanning communal passions.
“How can a party, which always talks about constructing temple, to do justice to people of other faiths?”
Mr. Naidu accused the BJP, the TRS and the Congress of having an electoral nexus in Mahabubnagar to defeat the TDP candidate.
He promised Rs. 1,000 per month unemployment allowance to youth and good administration if the TDP was voted back to power in the next general elections.
