VIJAYAWADA: With the TDP likely to forge an electoral alliance with the Congress in Telangana, the Opposition YSR Congress in Andhra Pradesh has questioned as to how Telugu Desam, which was founded by late NT Rama Rao to defeat the Congress, can lean towards the same party.
Speaking to reporters here on Saturday, YSRC MLA Peddireddi Ramachandra Reddy said that TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu had made strong remarks against the Congress and its leader Sonia Gandhi on several occasions earlier. He went to the extent of calling Sonia Gandhi ‘Italy Deyyam’ (Ghost from Italy). How an Italy Deyyam has suddenly become a ‘Devata’ (Goddess)?’’ questioned Ramachandra Reddy.
“In the past when Rahul Gandhi visited Guntur, the TDP attacked him with eggs and tomatoes. Similarly, when former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi visited Tirupati, the TDP activists hurled slippers at him. Now, the same party is trying to forge an electoral alliance with the Congress,” the YSRC senior leader said.
Ramachandra Reddy alleged that Naidu had been maintaining good relations with Congress leaders like former Union minister P Chidambaram and former AP Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy. Naidu is doing flip-flops often for political mileage. Earlier, Naidu claimed that he was the brain behind demonetisation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Now, he is saying that demonetisaion is a bad decision by the Centre,” Ramachandra Reddy said.
The Punganur MLAsaid that the State government failed to fulfil its assurance of saving standing crops in drought-hit Rayalaseema districts through rain guns. “Not a single acre of standing crop has been saved with rain guns. The rain guns have reached the houses of TDP leaders,’’ the MLA said. Ramachandra Reddy went on to say that the YSRC had never joined hands with the BJP and it would not do so in future also. On the party MLAs boycotting monsoon session of Assembly, the YSRC legislator said that they would attend the Assembly if action was initiated against the four defected MLAs who were inducted into the State cabinet.
Centre’s silence on graft in Polavaram questioned
YSRC spokesperson K Pardhasaradhi questioned the silence of Centre over the alleged corruption in the execution of Polavaram project.”Why is the Centre not initiating a CBI probe into the allegations of corruption in the project? Why is the BJP shielding the corrupt TDP government?’’ Pardhasaradhi questioned.