KADAPA: A defiant YSRC chief Jaganmohan Reddy on Thursday challenged Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu to ask those who defected from YSRC to TDP to resign from their seats and face the electorate.
The YSRC chief began his damage control tour of Kadapa district on Thursday in the backdrop of defections from his party. Already, five MLAs and the deputy mayor of Kadapa have left the party to join TDP and there are indications that more could follow.
Speaking after attending a private programme, Jagan said: “If Chandrababu has any moral values, he should ask the defectors to seek a fresh mandate. I dare him to take up this challenge. It is shameful on the part of the CM to encourage defections.”
He alleged that each MLA, who defected to the TDP, was offered `20 - 30 crore.
The money that Naidu has earned through illegal means from various projects like Pattiseema, GENCO, APMDC, sand quarrying, Capital construction and works on Galeru-Nagari project was being used for the purpose, he said. “The TDP is trying to strangle the Opposition as it is afraid of facing the people,” he said.
“We have the capacity to project better leaders from the areas where there were defections from our ranks. It is a not a big issue if four or five MLAs jump into the TDP bandwagon.
The people will teach a fitting lesson to these defectors,” he said. He said several TDP MLAs would join him after one year and said he would admit only after they seek fresh mandate.
Jagan claimed that he was a political leader with ethics and dubbed Naidu a betrayer, who backstabbed his father-in-law NT Rama Rao to usurp the chief minister post.