Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu said Saturday that the party’s conclave ‘Mahanadu’ will be organised at Kadapa — considered a former bastion of his rival and predecessor Jagan Mohan Reddy — this year.
In a teleconference with over 60,000 TDP leaders and activists on the occasion of 43rd party Foundation Day Saturday, Naidu felt that while various sections of the public celebrate different festivals, “the only one that they commonly observe is the TDP Formation Day”. He also said that the party had crossed one crore membership.
“The party has left an indelible mark in the hearts of the people. I bow my head before all the leaders and activists and salute those who have been sailing with the party for the past four decades.”
Informing the leaders and activists that the TDP is moving ahead with certain principles “that no other party has”, he said: “We have been marching forward not for power or posts but with the sole aim of taking the Telugu community to much ahead of all and that the people should be first.” Acknowledging that TDP has taken birth from the hardships of people, Naidu recalled that the party founder and his father-in-law NT Rama Rao “had moved forward with the slogan of self-respect while I marched ahead with self-confidence”.
The TDP went from strength to strength “only due to the hard work of party activists”, he said. “The yellow flag is an inspiration. The Telugu community should be viewed as pre and post formation of the TDP,” he said, adding that party stood “solidly behind all the backward classes by bringing in social reforms”.
“After becoming the state’s chief minister, NTR had introduced various welfare programmes such as `2/kg rice, pension, Janata Clothes and Pucca Houses,” he said, adding that it was NTR who created the welfare era in the whole country.
Announcing that the ‘Mahanadu’ at Kadapa this year, Naidu said that the party “would always stand with the poor and said that the P-4 programme (Public Private People Partnership) is being launched as part of achieving this goal”.
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“The primary objective of this programme is that those who are economically well off can extend a helping hand to the downtrodden sections of society for their elevation,” he said.
The Kadapa LS seat was formerly considered a stronghold of former CM Jagan’s father-in-law Y S Rajasekhar Reddy, who represented it from 1989 and 1998. The seat was eventually represented by his brother Y S Vivekananda Reddy (1999 and 2004) and son and YSRCP chief Jagan (2009 and 2011). Since 2014, the seat has been represented by YSRCP’s Y S Avinash Reddy. In 2024, TDP’s Reddeppagari Madhavi Reddy wrested the seat from sitting MLA Amzath Basha Shaik Bepari.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
