Modi failed to deliver on promises, BJP won’t come to power in 2019: Chandrababu

Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday said that a front of regional parties would form the next government at the Centre in 2019, hinting at a tie-up with like-minded parties to stop the BJP from coming to power.

“It will certainly not be the Bharatiya Janata Party that would come to power. The chances of the Congress-led coalition, too, are very bleak. I am confident it is going to be the regional parties which would come together and form the next government,” Naidu said in his inaugural address at the three-day annual conclave of TDP, Mahanadu in Vijayawada.

The TDP president said that the country had seen formation of coalition governments led by regional parties twice in the past — the National Front government in 1989 and United Front government in 1996. On both the occasions, the TDP had played a crucial role in bringing the regional parties together as an effective alternative to the Congress and the BJP.

That the regional parties had a national outlook was evident from the recent developments in Karnataka. “They all set aside their respective regional interests, they all joined together to bring the Janata Dal (S)-led government in Karnataka to prevent the BJP from coming to power,” he said.

In the coming days, regional parties would display the same kind of unity to pull down the BJP from power at the Centre, and the TDP would play a crucial role in this process as it had done in the past, Naidu said.

The chief minister also called for a nation-wide debate on the efficacy of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), since there had been allegations of their tampering in favour of the BJP.

“It is true that technology would simplify the election process, but at the same time it is vulnerable to manipulations. That is why we have been insisting on introduction of a system wherein the voter would get a slip soon after pressing the button on EVM and the same slip could be dropped in a ballot box,” he said.

The TDP president accused the BJP of gaining a foothold in the south through backdoor politics. “In Tamil Nadu, they tried to gain hold over the AIADMK by misusing the institution of Governor. In Karnataka, it tried to grab power by indulging in horse trading. In Andhra Pradesh, the BJP is targeting the TDP by joining hands with corrupt YSR Congress party. It is trying to create law and order problems in the state in collusion with the YSRC. But it is not so easy, as the TDP is very strong and nobody can touch it,” Naidu asserted.

Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the TDP president said Modi was a “campaign PM” and would only talk but not deliver any goods.

“He had a big talk about Make in India, Digital India, Start-up India, Skilled India and Stand-up India. But in practices, they all remained mere slogans and did not benefit anybody,” he said.

He pointed out that the much-publicised demonetisation and digital economy had fallen flat. “Banks have become bankrupt and there is a severe cash crunch in the country. Large scale frauds surfaced in banks. The introduction of GST without proper study resulted in crippling of businesses of small traders and rising of prices of commodities, causing undue hardship to consumers,” Naidu said.

He explained how Modi had betrayed the people of Andhra Pradesh by going back on the promises he had made before 2014 elections.

“We joined the NDA hoping that it would implement all the promises, including granting of special category status and implementation of provisions made in AP Reorganisation Act. We waited patiently for four years and were forced to come out because the promises were never delivered,” he said.

Stressing on the “historic necessity” to bring the TDP back to power in the state, Naidu called upon the party cadre to strive in the coming months to see that the party would win all the 25 Lok Sabha seats in 2019.