Striking a hilarious note during the discussion in the Assembly on ‘implementation of Telugu language in administration and education’, BJP floor leader P. Vishnu Kumar Raju said former TDP founder N.T. Rama Rao was a ‘thief who stole the people’s hearts by enhancing the Telugu pride’ and it was imperative that the glory of the ancient language was restored by all means.
“His party could strike a chord with the masses mainly because it was named Telugu Desam. That being the case, how can Telugu be made to play second fiddle to foreign languages?” the BJP MLA questioned, evoking loud thumping of the desks by members. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said he was proud to have inherited the legacy of NTR and he would do his best for propagating Telugu which had been duly recognised as a classical language.