Congress ridicules Naidu's elevation

Hyderabad, May 30 (INN): Leader of Opposition in Telangana Legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir has ridiculed the election of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu as the National President of Telugu Desam Party.

Addressing a press conference at the Congress Legislature Party office here on Saturday, Shabbir Ali said that the TDP does not fit into the criteria of a national party. To get recognised as a national party, one must have presence in at least four States and should secure 6% of the total polled votes in an election. The TDP is no way to closer to the criterion defined by the Election Commission of India. Further, the TDP has no potential to grow in other States, including Telangana. Citing instances, he said the Samajwadi Party or Bahujan Samaj Party could not do well in Uttarakhand. Similarly, the RJD remained a non-entity in Jharkhand. Post-bifurcation, the regional parties believed that they could grow as national parties. However, they failed to register their presence in newly formed States. "The TDP would be wiped out from Telangana in 2019 elections. It will also lose its base in Andhra Pradesh due to its anti-people policies," he said.

Shabbir Ali said Chandrababu Naidu was habitual of making tall claims and he has now become self-proclaimed National President of TDP. "Although Naidu wants to be known as a national leader, people would remember him as a person who backstabbed TDP founder NTR, his widow Laxmi Parvathi, his son Hari Krishna and other family members. He has cheated not only his family members, but also his close friends and the common people in general. People simply don't trust him," he said.

The Congress leader condemned Naidu for stating that he developed Hyderabad and brought international recognition for the city. "Hyderabad has a history of 425 years while Naidu ruled the State for only 9 years. When Naidu was born in 1950, Hyderabad was among the most developed cities in India. It had its own Secretariat, Assembly, Railways, Airport, industries and huge financial resources. The office from where Naidu functioned as the Chief Minister for nine years, was also constructed before he was born. Centuries ago Hyderabad was an established international market for diamonds, pearls and textiles and it was famous for its beautiful buildings, lakes and gardens," he said while asking the AP Chief Minister to be logical in his claims.

Shabbir Ali said that the Congress party has added to the city's infrastructure by spending more than Rs 1 lakh crore. He advised Naidu to stop the practice of self-praise. Else, he said people would teach him a fitting lesson in next elections.