Is Chandrababu Naidu losing his grip on the Telugu Desam Party in Andhra Pradesh? The recent incidents show that the leaders at the district level are becoming bolder and bolder. Some leaders have openly questioned Chandrababu Naidu’s leadership. On some issues, Chandrababu appears to be totally clueless on how to deal with the emerging situations.

First, it was Rajahmundry’s six-time MLA Gorantla Butchaiah Chowdary. He threatened to resign from the party over his arch rival in the party – Adireddy Appa Rao – being given more importance. That he kept the party leadership on the edge for over ten days . He did finally fall in line, but not before making his point. Even at the press conference that he has addressed after his meeting with Chandrababu Naidu, Butchaiah Chowdary looked quite defiant.

No sooner did this issue subside than the Anantapuram TDP episode came to the fore. It was not an outsider who was maligning the TDP. It was an insider. JC Prabhakar Reddy made shocking comments on leaders like Palle Raghunatha Reddy. He said that Palle was colluding with the YSRCP only to save his 200 acres of landed assets. JC’s supporters even took to Facebook to accuse Palle of trying to put spokes in the works of Kia motors. Palle’s supporters criticised JC on several other issues.

While all this was happening, there was no action from party boss Chandrababu Naidu. Neither did he admonish anyone nor did he try to set the house in order. He stayed put at Hyderabad. His son Lokesh too did not intervene in the issue. Many in the party are now beginning to feel that Chandrababu Naidu is slowly but surely beginning to lose his grip on the party. They feel that Chandrababu Naidu should act sooner than later to set the house in order.

The Opposition TDP is planning to target the faulty handing of the farm sector by the YSRCP government in Andhra Pradesh. Starting from September 14, the TDP is organising an ambitious outreach titled “Rythula Kosam Telugu Desam.” This will continue till September 18. The TDP will expose the failures of the YSRCP government in the farm sector through this programme.

According to senior leader and former minister Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy, the programme is being organised as per the directions of party chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu. The party will organise one programme a zone in each of the five zones in the state. Under this programme, as many as 35 assembly constituencies would be covered. He said that the protests for the Rayalaseema zone would be held on September 14. On September 15, twin Godavari districts and Nellore would witness protests. Similarly, protests would be organized on September 17 in Ongole, Tirupati, Nellore and Chittoor regions. On September 18, protests would be held in Central Coastal districts of Krishna and Guntur.

Stating that the growth in agriculture has considerably come down after YS Jagan took over, Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy said that during the TDP rule, an impressive 11.5 per cent growth was registered. He said the TDP has failed on all fronts and the state has not seen any growth after YS Jagan took over. He reminded that the TDP while in power used to provide a subsidy of Rs 9000 per farmer. The present YSRCP government was giving only Rs 6500, he said.

The TDP said that the YSRCP government has stopped giving subsidies to the drip irrigation. While the Central government was providing 60 percent of the subsidy, the state government is coming forward to provide the remaining 40 per cent. As a result, the scheme is not being implemented in the state government, he said.

The Andhra Pradesh police has come under attack from TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu, who accused them of harassing his party cadre at the behest of the ruling YSRCP.

In a letter addressed to DGP Gautam Sawang on Wednesday, Naidu said that police atrocities have reached their limits in the last two years. “The reputation of police is hitting rock bottom with every passing day,” he declared.

Naidu alleged that false cases have been filed against six TDP activists of Mogulicherla village in Prakasam district. The local TDP leaders were let go late in the night but again summoned early next morning, Naidu alleged.

Unable to bear the police harassment, two of the TDP activists have attempted suicide. Only after that, the police have stopped the harassment, he alleged.

Those harassed include children aged between 6 and 10 years old, Naidu has claimed.

The TDP leader has demanded an inquiry into the Mogulicherla incident, and action in the matter.

Telugu Desam Party President and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday called upon the people of the state to get inspiration from the country’s freedom fighters who made supreme sacrifices in the great struggle for independence from the British Raj.

Naidu stressed the need for continuing the relentless fight against the suppression of the weaker sections and the backward classes and unchecked exploitation of the public wealth. “When similar oppression took place under the colonial rulers, the freedom fighters rose in revolt and fought valiantly till India achieved freedom. It was a matter of great pride that the whole country was celebrating Independence Day all over in the name of ‘Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav’,” he said in a statement.

However, he noted that “while our forefathers made sacrifices for freedom and rights, all obstacles were being created now for the growth and development of people in Andhra Pradesh”.

“What would be the meaning of sacrifices made by those great souls if those fruits were not passed on to the people,” he asked, stressing the need for all sections of society in the state to introspect and come forward to oppose “the oppressive tactics of the present rulers”.

“There was an emergent need to protect the state from the ongoing destruction. The immediate task before one and all would be to rally together to boldly confront and prevent the rulers from harming the state any further,” he said.

TDP national General Secretary Nara Lokesh, in a separate statement, extended his greetings to the people of the country on the occasion of 75th Independence Day celebrations.

He expressed the wish that the spirit of Independence Day would help the Andhra Pradesh people and make them free from harassment, false cases, oppression and from suicides of jobless youth.