TDP supremo and former chief minister, Nara Chandrababu Naidu, on Tuesday promised to complete the Handri-Neeva project works and will supply water to Kuppam within one year of the NDA forming the government in the State.

Chandrababu Naidu visited the Handri-Neeva branch canal works at Rajupeta in Kuppam Assembly segment. Later, he told media persons that Chief Minister, Jagan Mohan Reddy, has simply pressed the button after supplying water through a tanker to the canal like a cinema setting. The canal dried up by the same evening and the gates were taken away by the officials the same day. Even the film directors were shocked to see these settings which were removed overnight, Chandrababu Naidu remarked in a sarcastic way.

“How this Chief Minister, who transported people by buses for his meetings and arrived here by helicopter after setting up two helipads here can defeat me. Are you not ashamed to cheat people who are disgusted at your cheap politics,” Chandrababu Naidu asked Jagan. The Chief Minister always feels insecure as the trees are cut if he travels by road even for a km, he added.

Jagan has resorted to all kinds of atrocities in the State and his photos appear on every document, Chandrababu Naidu said, adding that taking advantage of this the officials are manipulating the documents. Since Jagan is misusing the public money he should be punished in the people’s court, Chandrababu Naidu said and demanded that the mobile phones of the volunteers be seized as they are collecting the personal details of every citizen and passing these details to I-PAC.

Reminding how he has developed Kuppam, the former chief minister said that he has also taken measures for the development of Pulivendula. But Jagan has destroyed everything. Cautioning the locals that the YSRCP leaders are planning to illegally grab the lands of Lord Basaveswara at Gundisettypalle, Chandrababu Naidu said that YSRCP MP, Vijayasai Reddy, is the global figure for criminal world who always passes the buck on others for the crime that he commits.

“Till the people revolt themselves these leaders continue their atrocities. If anyone votes for the YSRCP he or she will be doing injustice to their own families. All the buttons pressed by Jagan and the GOs issued by him are all dummies only to damage the lives of the innocent people. But once the NDA is into power in these elections all these issues will be resolved,” Chandrababu Naidu maintained.

Assuring the youth of signing the file for Mega District Selection Committee (DSC) within 60 days of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coming to power to fill all the vacant teacher posts in the State, TDP president and former chief minister, Nara Chandrababu Naidu, on Tuesday promised to provide 20 lakh jobs in the next five years.

“Till you get jobs you will be paid Rs 3,000 each per month as unemployment allowance,” Chandrababu Naidu told a meeting of the youth at Kuppam, the headquarters of his home constituency. Stating that if the present DSC is continued further, Chandrababu Naidu said that these mischievous persons will again manage everything and will appoint their own people without giving the opportunity for the eligible candidates. The Election Commission should look into this matter, he said.

Promising to transform Kuppam as a knowledge hub, Chandrababu Naidu said that all the courses will be introduced in Dravida University after a cleansing operation of the institute. The former chief minister cautioned the people of the State that if the YSRCP is back in power there will be no safety and security for the properties of anyone.

“The enthusiasm in all of you reminds me my old days as I have come into politics as a student leader. I really feel proud of you,” Mr Chandrababu told the meeting. Making it clear that he always reposes faith in the youth force, he said he always works for the future of the younger generations. Where the youth is strong success will be there, he felt.

“The Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, Dr BR Ambedkar and the TDP founder, late NT Rama Rao, all of them were born in a middle-class families and I too come with the same background born in a middle-class farmers family. If the youth is given proper education they will rule the whole world,” he said.

Recalling that people had made fun of him when he announced that an electronic exchange will be set up, Chandrababu Naidu said that he had proved it and a new telecommunication system was introduced with deregulation. Expressing concern that there are no investments or employment opportunities in the State in the past five years, he said that the youth is migrating to other States or even countries. The time has come to send home this destroying face who damaged the lives of the youth, he stated.

Chief Minister, Jagan Mohan Reddy, is a master in cheating, he said and asked the youth whether any job calendar has been released in the last five years or any DSC has been conducted as promised. The only goal of Jagan to mint thousands of crores while encourage those robbers who follow him to earn hundreds of crores but the youth should get only Rs 5,000 per month, Chandrababu Naidu remarked.

Making an appeal to the youth to think about their future and the progress of the State, Chandrababu Naidu promised that he will stand by them. “I am assuring you all that I will take care of your future and you should topple the YSRCP in these elections and tell the people the facts,” he told the youth.

Pointing out how this Government has resorted to massive irregularities in the Group-1 exams of the APPSC, he said that the ruling dispensation has sold the posts causing deep displeasure among those eligible candidates. Recalling how he had toured the whole world to invite investments to the State, he said Kia car manufacturing unit is set upon in Ananthapur district while this Government has chased out the existing units like Jockey and Amar Rajaa Batteries.

“While I have provided job opportunities for the youth, Jagan is indulging in scam after scam. The YSRCP leaders have been looting the granite industry here. If this is the situation in Kuppam you can imagine the condition of the whole State,” Chandrababu Naidu said. If the technology goes into the hands of evil-designers the whole State will suffer and the Land Titling Act is aimed at this, he added.

If the YSRCP is back in power the owners of properties should forget about their own assets, Chandrababu Naidu said and made an appeal to the youth to bury the YSRCP. He promised to bring the State back on track and the coming NDA government will certainly do justice to Muslims too.

Recalling how the earlier TDP regimes had worked for the welfare of the Muslim community in the State, Chandrababu Naidu clarified that the TDP has entered into an alliance with the BJP and the Jana Sena keeping in view the future of the State. “If there is no cooperation from the Centre it is difficult to take the State on the progressive path,” he added.

Stating that Amaravathi has been completely damaged, the TDP supremo said that farmers suicides are rising while atrocities on women too are going up. “I am not working for winning more number of seats but only for the future of the State. I am promising you that I will certainly take the State forward though the flags of the three parties are different but the agenda is same,” Chandrababu Naidu observed.

Former chief minister and TDP supremo, Nara Chandrababu naidu, on Thursday stated that Kuppam Assembly segment is a laboratory for him, and he launched all the developmental programmes from here.

“Kuppam is a laboratory, and I started all the programmes from here,” Chandrababu Naidu said addressing a public meeting at Kuppam of Chittoor district. Launching the campaign of ‘One lakh majority for TDP in Kuppam constituency’, Chandrababu said that anyone should view Kuppam before and after TDP.

This generation is not aware how Kuppam was before the TDP came to power and the present-day youth is feeling only a developed Kuppam, Chandrababu remarked. “I have selected Kuppam when it was the most backward constituency and I came here only to develop this segment,” he said.

Recalling that he stayed in a single room owned by one Chandrasekhar and contested as MLA, the TDP supremo said that after winning the poll the locals looked after everything. There were no roads and schools in Kuppam, he said, adding that when he announced that a telephone exchange will be set up in Kuppam people here made fun of him, Chandrababu recalled.

The Kuppam segment has developed only during the TDP rule, the former chief minister felt that after the YSRCP came to power all the ongoing works came to a standstill. The first drip irrigation system was introduced in Kuppam following which the availability of water was increased, he stated.

The two wheels of the cycle (the symbol of TDP) one is development and the other is welfare, Chandrababu naidu explained and said that several welfare programmes were taken up in five years when the TDP was in power but now everything has come to a halt. The prices of essential commodities and the cooking gas have gone up in the past four years and even sand is not available now.

Promising to launch the ‘work from home and office’ system in Kuppam, Chandrababu Naidu said that all the companies across the globe will be interlinked, and employment opportunities will be provided for all to work from home. Taking the Janmabhoomi as an inspiration, all the NRIs should be back home to develop their motherland, Chandrababu added.

Former chief minister and TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu appointed MLC Kancharla Srikanth as incharge for the Kuppam Assembly constituency. Chandrababu Naidu also appointed a 23-member committee to assist Srikanth in the constituency.

The move was to check the ruling YSR Congress which has been claiming that it would defeat Naidu in Kuppam in the next election. The TDP chief had already constructed a house in Kuppam town and he and his son Lokesh are in constant touch with the party leaders in the constituency.

Naidu’s recent visit to the constituency was a big hit with a large number of party activists and the general public participating. The electrifying rally infused new lease of life into the party who were upset with the party’s defeat in the municipal and local body elections.

Chandrababu Naidu had toured Kuppam for five times in the last three years and is in touch with the local party leaders. Even Naidu’s wife Bhuvaneswari and Lokesh’s wife Brahmani are also in touch with the local leaders, giving them the required support.

Chandrababu Naidu had given a fitting counter to the ruling party leaders on Kuppam and gave a counter call to his TDP ranks asking why not Pulivendula. Chandrababu Naidu had set his eyes on Pulivendula Assembly constituency which is now represented by chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy.

The party had registered its first victory in Pulivendula with the election of Graduate MLC from here. Local former MLC B Tech Ravi is in full control of the party in Pulivendula and he is said to be getting ready to challenge Jagan Mohan Reddy from Pulivendula in the next election.

With the new initiatives and measures, the TDP cadre in Kuppam is confident now of retaining the seat and sending him to the Assembly from here for the eight consecutive term.

Former chief minister and TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday held a protest in Kuppam against the GO 1 issued restricting the political parties from holding roadshows and meetings on the roads.

Chandrababu Naidu came down heavily on the state government, police and chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy for preventing him from touring his constituency. He said that Jagan Mohan Reddy is scared of the increasing popularity for him and the TDP which resulted in the government issuing the black GO.

The TDP chief alleged that Jagan Mohan Reddy was acting as a psycho targeting the opposition parties. He said that holding roadshows and street corner meetings is the prerogative of the political parties. He took exception to the government banning the primary right of the political parties.

The TDP chief also said that preventing him from touring his constituency is undemocratic and unacceptable. He asked the state government to withdraw the black GO and allow political parties to hold public meetings and rallies.

He also blamed the state police for succumbing to the pressures of the ruling party. He asked the police to be independent of the political parties. He also asked the police to stop serving the political interests of the ruling party.

Tension prevailed in Kuppam town of Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday as police denied permission for a roadshow by Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national president N. Chandrababu Naidu.

TDP workers were stopped and sent back by the police as they were heading to Santhipuram in Kuppam, the home constituency of the former chief minister in Chittoor district.

The police also shifted the campaign vehicle (Prachara Radham) and the other vehicle carrying the sound system to the police station.

Hundreds of policemen were deployed as curbs were imposed on Naidu’s visit. This came a day after the state government issued an order prohibiting public meetings on roads.

The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government took the step in the wake of December 28 stampede at Kandukur during Naidu’s roadshow which had claimed eight lives.

The government has come under flak from the entire opposition for banning the public meetings and they called it an attempt to stifle the voice of dissent.

Naidu, who is the leader of opposition, decided to go ahead with his visit to Kuppam. Police stopped TDP workers who were heading to Pedduru village on Andhra-Karnataka border to welcome the party leader. This led to an argument between both sides.

Police erected barricades to stop TDP workers from proceeding towards the village and also to the road show.

Though the TDP supremo is likely to reach Pedduru village from Bengaluru in another couple of hours, heavy deployment of police has been made in all the villages to which he is scheduled to visit.

The police also removed the stage set up at Kenamakulapalli village for Chandrababu Naidu to address the gathering as part of the Rachabanda programme.

Policemen from various parts of the district were mobilised at Santhipuram. TDP leaders said though they had already submitted a letter seeking permission to the sound system, police shifted the campaign vehicle and another vehicle carrying the sound system to the police station. The drivers and other staff members were taken into custody.

Former chief minister and TDP president, N Chandrababu Naidu, is of the strong opinion that the YSRCP Government is showing discrination towards Kuppam Assembly segment as he is representing the constituency.

Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday held road shows in various parts of Kuppam. Addressing the gathering at Konganapalli in Shanthipuram mandal of the Assembly segment, Naidu said that the State Government is not taking up an developmental works in the constituency since he is representing from here.

No steps have been taken to complete the works like Handri-Neeva project and the housing units that were taken up during the TDP regime, Chandrababu Naidu said. “We have spent over Rs 100 cr on the housing project for the poor and onl part of the works have to be completed. The State Government has not initiated any steps to complete the works,” Naidu stated.

Also, the TDP government has allocated Rs 1350 cr to repair the tanks in the entire Kuppam constituency and had released almost half of the amount. “This inefficient Government cancelled the GO allocating Rs 1350 cr and is now claiming that it will release only Rs 65 cr, he pointed out.

The TDP government has launched the drip irrigation system from Kuppam and encouraged the micro-irrigation from here by giving 90 per cent subsidy. “I never ignored Pulivendula constituency just because the electorate there did not vote for the TDP,” Chandrababu Naidu stated.

The State Government is not interested in the welfare of the people but is more enthusiastic in imposing financial burdens on the common man, the TDP national president said. “If anyone consumes 300 units of power, he or she is not eligible for Ammavodi scheme. Even if someone owns a four-wheeler then such persons are exempted from the welfare schemes,” Naidu pointed out.

The former chief minister warned those indulging in rowdism in Kuppam of chasing them out to Pulivendula and promised to extend all welfare schemes to everyone, including those who are exempted now for various reasons.

“I always think that politics is different from welfare and that is the reason as to why I never shown any discrimination towards the voters in Pulivendula though they have defeated the TDP,” Naidu maintained. He said that he wanted to develop Pulivendula on the lines of Kuppam. “But you are making Kuppam like Pulivendula,” he said in a sarcastic way.

Naidu made it clear that he will bury YSRCP in Pulivendula. How the YSRCP can seek votes in the coming elections. “With what face you can go to the people. What did you do to them,” he asked.

Naidu predicted that the YSRCP will lose even in Pulivendula in the coming polls. “Leave alone winning 175 segments. You can not win even the Pulivendula segment,” he felt.

The TDP national president said that the Chief Minister, agan Mohan Reddy, is trying to grab the 8,500 acres allotted to Indu project during the YSR regime. Jagan is ready to transport cash to Pulivendula through trucks to distribute to the voters there since he has tonnes of money.

As a responsible Chief Minister, Jagan should pull up his party MP for his ‘indecent behaviour. But Jagan is only foisting cases against us for questioning such persons,’ he added.

He said that he is still continuing in politics only to bring the State back onto the rails. People should come out of the caste politics and teach a fitting lesson to Jagan, he added.

The first impression of Chandrababu Naidu’s three-day tour of Kuppam is that it is too late and too little. Lot of lost ground and missed opportunities greeted Chandrababu Naidu as he toured his home turf of Kuppam. The tour that should have been taken soon after the 2019 assembly elections is happening a tad too late and this has given an opportunity to YSRCP strongman Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy to wean away several key workers of the TDP.

Covid restrictions did prevent him from undertaking an extensive tour of Kuppam, but he lost two years as a result. No major programmes were organised in Kuppam. Meanwhile, consecutive adverse election results have hit the morale of the party workers hard. Using this, the YSRCP has poached several important workers in the constituency.

Insiders say that due to Chandrababu’s continued absence from Kuppam, some PAs and some local leaders became all powerful and they dominated the diehard cadres of the party. There are allegations that even Lokesh did not give any importance to the loyal cadres. With Jagan and Peddireddy focusing on Kuppam, several works were launched and the people slowly turned towards the YSRCP. They lured the party workers at the booth level. This has now turned out to be a major headache for Chandrababu.

Another major source of trouble is the growing popularity of Junior NTR in Kuppam. Slogans such as NTR Zindabad are greeting Chandrababu. The local cadre are yearning for an active role to NTR in the party. This is being seen as an open challenge to Lokesh Babu’s leadership. The three-day tour is likely to retrieve some lost ground. But, it is quite late. But, as they say, better late than never.