The developmental works taken up at over ₹30 crore on the Nellore tank bund ahead of the recent ‘Rottela Panduga’ celebrations have drawn opposition criticism now even as Municipal Administration Minister P. Narayana became the main target for rival YSR Congress Party leaders.
The YSRCP leaders have described the execution of the works as substandard and it triggered heated exchanges between the TDP and the YSRCP leaders for the past three days.
These developmental works included the laying of water front ghats, lighting, improvement of approach roads and so on.
Interestingly, rumours have spread around the same time here that Mr. Narayana is all set to enter the electoral fray during the 2019 elections from the Nellore Town Assembly constituency.
YSRCP leader Roopkumar Yadav has criticised Mr. Narayana for not being available to the public here by staying away from the district most of the time.
‘Baseless criticism’
However, the followers of Mr. Narayana have strongly come down on the opposition criticism saying that the rival leaders are doing all this just out of the fear that they will be heavily losing in Nellore city because of the hard work and development brought by the Minister in the past three years.
TDP district spokesperson Nune Mallikarjuna Yadav said that the 400-year-old Rottela Panduga festival could be held in a more pilgrim-friendly manner this year because of a lot of development that took place under the close monitoring of Mr. Narayana.
“The Minister had worked day and night to get the works completed successfully in time for pilgrims. How can the opposition leaders criticise him without any basis?” asked Mr. Mallikarjuna Yadav.
Meanwhile, the sources in the Telugu Desam Party here have dismissed as ‘premature’ the rumours about the likely entry of Mr. Narayana into electoral politics from Nellore town in the next elections.
