Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N. Chandrababu Naidu and Jana Sena leader Pawan Kalyan on Wednesday sounded the war cry for the forthcoming polls, calling on the people of Andhra Pradesh to back their alliance to end the “destructive” rule of the YSRCP.
Addressing the first public meeting of the TDP-Jana Sena combine after announcing their seat-sharing pact, the two leaders launched an all-out attack on Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Declaring that the alliance is unstoppable, Chandrababu Naidu said they will rest only after putting a full stop to the YSRCP’s anarchy. Stating that the coming elections are crucial for Andhra Pradesh, the former Chief Minister appealed to people to join hands with the combine for rebuilding the state.
“TDP and Jana Sena joined hands for the sake of the people. Ours’ is a winning team, YSRCP is a cheating team,” he said.
Both he and actor Pawan Kalyan delivered power-punched dialogues to hit out at Jagan Mohan Reddy.
They held the flags of each other’s party at the public meeting titled ‘Jenda’ to demonstrate their unity.
Adding glamour to the public meeting was TDP MLA and popular actor N. Balakrishna.
“Any Chief Minister runs the administration with development works but ever since Jagan Mohan Reddy became the Chief Minister, he is running the administration with anarchism,” the TDP supremo said. He recalled that he had designed Amaravati as a state capital at par with Hyderabad.
“We also tried to irrigate every acre of land with water from the Polavaram project but today there is psycho rule in the state,” he said.
The TDP chief alleged that unable to bear the harassment of the YSRCP, cricketer Hanuma Vihari had to quit the Andhra team.
“When his sister (Sharmila) joined another party, she was harassed on social media. These incidents reflect the mental condition of Jagan Mohan Reddy.”
Chandrababu Naidu asked why Jagan Mohan Reddy failed to achieve special category status for the state. He recalled the promise made by him in the previous election that if he had 25 MPs, he would bring special status.
The TDP chief said Jagan Mohan Reddy even alienated bigwigs of the film industry. He alleged that in the name of the movie tickets issue, he insulted megastar Chiranjeevi and great director S.S. Rajamouli.
“Jagan Mohan Reddy’s rule is an utter flop movie. Will there be a sequel to such a movie,” he asked, predicting the defeat of the YSRCP.
Naidu also questioned Jagan Mohan Reddy on the murder of the latter’s uncle and former minister Y. S. Vivekananda Reddy.
“Forget everything. Just tell who killed Babai (uncle),” the TDP leader asked amid cheers from the massive crowd.
The TDP chief said that the TDP-Jana Sena combine has a blueprint to develop the state. “We will bring investment to create wealth and the same will be distributed among the poor,” he said.
Referring to dissidence among some TDP leaders due to seat sharing with Jana Sena, Naidu said some leaders may face difficulties due to the “unstoppable alliance” but promised to do justice to all those who work for the party.
Pawan Kalyan also told the dissidents in his Jana Sena to leave the party strategy to him and just follow him. He also dismissed the criticism for accepting 24 Assembly seats (out of total 175 seats).
“Trust me and follow me. My supporters are those who follow me and don’t question me,” he said.
The actor-politician vowed to politically finish Jagan Mohan Reddy. He launched a scathing attack on the YSRCP leader for his personal attacks on him.
TDP leader and actor Balakrishna said that TDP founder N.T. Ramarao introduced several revolutionary schemes and after him, Chandrababu Naidu is leading the party with the same discipline. He alleged that during the YSRCP regime, all the institutions in the state were destroyed.
Balakrishna said under Jagan Mohan Reddy’s rule, there is no fee reimbursement for students and there is no irrigation for farmers.
Under the seat-sharing pact announced three days ago, the TDP will contest 151 Assembly seats, leaving the remaining 24 for Jana Sena. The TDP has also left three out of 25 Lok Sabha seats for its partner.