Balaiah calls for unity among Telugus

HYDERABAD: Film actor and TDP founder NT Rama Rao's son N Balakrishna on Wednesday called upon the people of Seemandhra and Telangana to live as one family.

'Though the state has been divided geographically, the Telugu people living in the two states should continue to coexist as one family. People of both the States should cooperate with each other in terms of development,' he said.

While addressing party cadre at the two-day Mahanadu, which ended here on Wednesday evening, the film actor, who has been elected to the AP Assembly from Hindupur, recalled that his father the late NT Rama Rao had founded the TDP on the plank of self-respect of Telugus and to keep Telugu pride alive.

'My father NTR had formed the TDP to protect the Telugu pride which was mortgaged by the Congress. As TDP stands for the entire Telugus, people of both the States should live as brothers even after bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh,' he remarked.

Turning to his brother-in-law and party chief N Chandrababu Naidu, Balakrishna cautioned him about his new responsibilities.

'The major challenge before Naidu is to reconstruct the new state from the scratch. Fulfilling all promises, including waiver of crop loans and implementing various welfare programmes in the new State, which is being formed with revenue deficit, is a challenging task for him,' he said.

BHARAT RATNA FOR NTR demanded

TDP adopted a unanimous resolution urging the Centre to confer Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award in the country, on party founder the late N T Rama Rao in recognition of his services to the Telugu people as well as the country. Celebrating the 91 birth anniversary of the legendary Telugu film star, at the Mahanadu here, party chief N Chandrababu Naidu said the befitting tribute to N T R would be to award Bharat Ratna on him. Naidu said he would plead with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to consider the resolution passed by Mahanadu.

Rs 20-Cr FUND FOR TDP WORKERS

TDP chief Naidu on Wednesday set up a corpus fund of `20 crore for the welfare of party workers and constituted a trust to ensure that the fund is utilised for the welfare of party cadre. Naidu took this decision as per the suggestion given by his son and party leader Lokesh at the Mahanadu on Wednesday morning. Soon after the advice of Lokesh, Naidu asked the participants in Mahanadu to give donations for the fund. By evening, Naidu was able to get `14 crore. Later, he added the party's `6 crore existing fund to it. Earlier, while attacking YSRC chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, Lokesh said the secret of TDP having such a strong cadre is that the party takes total care of the party workers. 'The TDP has established NTR Model School where the Mahanadu is being held, to provide quality education to the children of party workers,' he said.

LEADERS REMEMBER NTR

It was a trip down memory lane for some of the TDP veterans. Some of the old-timers recalled their association with party founder NT Rama Rao. Party senior leader E Dayakar Rao, said, 'I have been in the party since its inception. I was a 25-year-old when NTR had founded the party. At that time, NTR had included me in the nine-member committee set up to design the party's flag.'

LAST MAHANADU IN UNITED AP

TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu announced that he was making his senior colleague in the party L Ramana, the party's Telangana unit president. Naidu made this announcement on the final day of Mahanadu, which ended on Wednesday. Incidentally, the party's annual conclave is the last one in the united Andhra Pradesh as the State would be formally split into two on June 2.