Telugu Desam Party president N. Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday expressed his strong desire to play kingmaker again in national politics.
Speaking at an election rally here, he said no force could stall the BJP-led NDA’s onward march in the general elections. The perceptible anti-Congress wave sweeping across the country was a clear indication of the exit of the ‘infamous’ UPA regime, he added.
Mr. Naidu said the State would benefit a lot from the NDA in the case of it forming the government at the Centre only when he would be at the helm as was the case in the erstwhile NDA regime. The TDP chief said he would apply pressure on the NDA-led formation for more central grants, bringing in more investments and ensuring industrial progress in the residuary State.
Mr. Naidu said it was a historical need for the people from Seemandhra to vote for the TDP-BJP combine for rebuilding the residuary State. “I am not hankering for power. I have served the State as the Chief Minister for nearly nine years,” he said. In the same breath, he appealed to the people to bring him back to power. “It is not for my sake. But it is for your own sake, for the future of your children and for the reconstruction of the State.”.
Keeping in mind the smouldering discontent in the rank and file of the TDP in most of the Assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies over seat sharing with the BJP, Mr. Naidu urged them to be ready for sacrifices in the mission to make the TDP-BJP combine a formidable force in the larger interests of the State.
‘Defeat Jagan’
He stated that it was also a historical need to defeat YSRC president Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy in order to keep off political corruption. “You will be the loser, if you vote for him (Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy). If he comes to power, no industry will come to the State and there will be no development for want of peace,” he said.
