Strengthening the local bodies is an important goal of the Telugu Desam Party, its chief N Chandrababu Naidu said, raising tempo for the party’s panchayat election campaign.
Addressing party cadre at the TDP regional conference at Kompally here on Saturday, to gear up the workers for panchayat polls, Chandrababu said when TDP was in power, village administration was at its best. Officials used to visit villages and address the problems there through Grama Sabhas.
“Now, it is no more the case. The Congress government in the last several years had rendered the local bodies defunct,” he said. The TDP chief was all praise for the party cadre and said there are many workers, who had sacrificed their properties for the sake of the party. There are some leaders who had deserted the party for the sake of power, but there was no party activist who had left, he said.
Stating that the Kompally meeting was even better than Mahanadu, he heaped praise on the party cadre for their unwavering support and called upon them to work with renewed vigour to achieve success in panchayat polls.
Chandrababu, who observed a few minutes of silence before the commencement of the meeting as a mark of respect for the victims of Uttarakhand floods, lashed out at the Uttarakhand government for failing to act in time to save the lives and property.
Stating that the TDP extending help to the pilgrims from the state stranded in Uttarakhand was only a humane gesture, he criticised the Congress government for failing to rescue the stranded pilgrims and take up adequate relief measures.
Flaying the state government for announcing only `2 lakh ex gratia to the kin of the pilgrims from the state, who died in Uttarakhand floods, the TDP chief demanded `10 lakh be given to the bereaved families.
He reiterated his promise of waiving farmers’ loans after coming back to power and claimed revenue of Hyderabad was more during his government.
Chandrababu took the opportunity to lash out at TRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao, stating that he had never spoken about the Gulf victims from the state and the dubious distinction of printing a skull mark on beedi packets goes to KCR, while he was Union minister.
Chandrababu said his party is ready to face Lok Sabha elections, if they are held in November. He predicted merger of TRS and YSRC with Congress in the coming days. He said the TDP stands by its resolution on Telangana, passed at the party Mahanadu, and promised to take care of the families of Telangana martyrs. Once back in the power, the TDP will announce a BC sub-plan with `10,000 crore, he said. The meeting was attended by party cadre from Rangareddy, Medak, Nizamabad and other Telangana districts.