Naidu plays BC card to win over T- voters

HYDERABAD: Departing from his usual way of claiming credit with regard to the development of Hyderabad, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, while addressing his party's Praja Garjana meeting at Warangal on Wednesday, tried to play on 'local sentiment'.

Blaming the Congress and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi for failing to make the Centre ensure inclusion of the Thousand Pillars Temple and Ramappa Temple, built by the Kakatiyas, in the list of Unesco world heritage sites, Naidu promised that his party would make the Centre declare Sammakka Saralamma Jatara as a national festival, if it came to power.

'Sammakka Saralamma Jatara is a tribal festival in honour of these two Goddesses. It commemorates the fight of Sammakka and Saralamma against the rulers and their unjust laws. After Kumbha Mela, this jatara attracts the largest number of devotees in Asia,' he said.

The TDP chief, who has been banking on the 'BC CM' plank to woo alienated sections of voters in Telangana back to his party's fold, recalled the bravery of Sammakka and Saralamma, who were believed to have fought against the feudal lords of Telangana, and has been regarded as Goddesses by local people.

Asking the electors from weaker sections not to vote for the TRS led by K Chandrasekhar Rao, Naidu said, 'If you vote for the TRS, Rao will establish an aristocratic regime where the rights of downtrodden classes would be trampled upon. Hence, all of you should take the cue from Goddesses Sammakka and Saralamma and revolt against the feudal landlords.'

While addressing a well-attended Praja Garjana public meeting, organised by the TDP at Hayagreeva Chari ground in Hanamkonda, the then hotbed of Telangana movement, the Telugu Desam Party chief mainly targeted Telangana Rashtra Samithi chief K Chandrasekhar Rao in his lengthy speech.

Using parables, the TDP president tried to present his argument that if the TRS comes to power it would establish an aristocratic regime at the cost of weaker sections. Hence, he called upon people from backward classes to vote for the TDP so as to make a BC the first CM of Telangana state 'in order to uplift the BCs and other weaker sections on all fronts'.

Recalling that the TDP was the only party which made BCs enter lawmaking bodies, Naidu said, 'I will make a BC the chief minister of the Telangana state. I will not take rest until social justice is achieved in the new state.'

Hurling invectives like 'habitual liar' and 'betrayer' at the TRS chief, the Telugu Desam Party president tried to persuade the people of Telangana that he could reconstruct the new state as he had vast administrative experience.

In a bid to appease the farmers in Telangana, Naidu tried to flatter them, saying, 'Telangana farmers are industrious and hardworking people.'

He then went on promising that our party's first signature would be on the file of crop loan waiver, if it came to power in the T-state.

Nine-hour uninterrupted free power to the farm sector and providing pump sets run on solar power with 75 percent subsidy are some more assurances given by Naidu to the T-farmers.

Flanked by state BC Welfare Association head R Krishnaiah, who had joined the TDP recently, and party leaders from Telangana such as L Ramana, E Dayakar Rao, Motkupally Narsmihulu and R Prakash Reddy, Naidu made it a point to warn BCs in Telangana against voting for the TRS.