Hyderabad, Sunday: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu expressed gratitude to the people who protested against his arrest last September and vowed to restore the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) to its former glory in Telangana.
Addressing TDP workers, Naidu emphasized that the party, founded in Telangana four decades ago, would soon undergo restructuring. He noted that the TDP did not contest the Assembly elections in November 2023 or the Lok Sabha elections this year in Telangana due to various reasons. The party has been without a leader since Kasani Gnaneshwar resigned as state president before last year’s Assembly polls.
“TDP, which was established for the Telugu people, should have a presence in Telangana. I ask you, should the party, which originated in Telangana, not function in the state? Many people have worked for the party. We will restructure the party in Telangana very soon,” Naidu said to cheers from the party cadre.
Naidu pledged to work towards restoring the party’s past glory in Telangana, encouraging youth and educated individuals to join TDP. He also mentioned his meeting with Telangana counterpart A. Revanth Reddy on Saturday, emphasizing the need for cooperation between the two states for the benefit of the Telugu people, despite being governed by different parties.
During their meeting, Naidu and Reddy agreed to form committees of ministers and officials to address pending issues from the bifurcation of undivided Andhra Pradesh in 2014. “Yesterday, we held discussions with the Telangana government. I hope these talks will continue in the future,” Naidu said.
Reflecting on his tenure as Chief Minister and his contributions to the development of Hyderabad two decades ago, Naidu highlighted that Telangana now ranks highest in per capita income, with a significant gap between it and Andhra Pradesh. He claimed that during his tenure as CM between 2014 and 2019, he was able to reduce the gap from 33% in 2014 to 27%. However, under the YSR Congress regime, the gap has widened to 44%.
Naidu also mentioned that several industries are interested in investing in Andhra Pradesh but are hesitant due to the opposition YSRCP’s attitude. Despite numerous challenges, he assured that he would take responsibility for the development of Andhra Pradesh.
