Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu warned the Centre to fulfil the bifurcation promises or face the wrath of Telugu people.
Addressing the gathering during the Telugu Desam Party’s 5th Dharma Porata Deeksha held at the STBC College grounds here on Saturday, Mr. Naidu said they would not rest until justice is meted out to the State and its people.
“TDP is fuelled by the vision of its founder N.T. Rama Rao, who had showcased the power of Telugu people in the country and also across the world. We have been fighting against the unscientific manner in which the Congress party had divided the State and the indifference being displayed by the Centre now,” he added.
Mr. Naidu stopped his speech for a while and aired the video clips showing the statements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu on the bifurcation promises made to the State and its people before the 2014 general elections. Continuing his address, he said, “They had promised that they would implement the bifurcation promises in letter and spirit, but nothing has been done till now. The NDA government has discriminated against Andhra Pradesh (when compared to other States) and hence there is a need to fight for our rights and also against those supporting the Centre,” he said.
Highlighting how the development of Hyderabad had transformed its image on the global map, Mr. Naidu said that development of Andhra Pradesh would not only reflect well on the State but also on the Centre.
Hails Uyyalawada’s role
Establishing a connect with the locals and drawing a parallel, Mr. Naidu hailed the fight of unsung freedom fighter Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy against the British colonial rule and remarked that a similar fight should be waged against the Centre to secure the rights of Andhra Pradesh.
With respect to the no-confidence motion tabled by the TDP, Mr. Naidu said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had chosen the platform to spread lies and ridicule the sentiments of Telugu people.
“This will surely reflect in the upcoming elections, as people have realised the true intention of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Unable to answer the questions, BJP has joined hands with corrupt parties and resorted to spreading baseless allegations against TDP,” he said.
Mr. Naidu later outlined the various development works being done by the State government, especially the initiatives taken to drought-proof the State and real time governance.
Afforestation scheme
Earlier, in Kadapa district, Mr. Naidu took part in the Vanam-Manam programme at Yogi Vemana University and urged the students (and people) to work towards achieving Haritha Andhra Pradesh.
He flayed the Centre for its negligence towards establishing a steel plant in Kadapa.
