Vowing to strive to bring about a change in the national political scenario, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has predicted that the BJP will not retain power at the Centre, and the regional parties will rule the roost in the 2019 general elections.
Reiterating his charge that both the BJP and the Congress meted out injustice to Andhra Pradesh, Mr. Naidu asserted in the Nava Nirmana Deeksha public meeting at Jonnagiri of Tuggali mandal in the district that while the BJP betrayed the TDP, the Congress had bifurcated the State in an unscientific manner.
‘BJP game plan’
Accusing the BJP of conspiring to ruin the State by snubbing the TDP with the support of the YSR Congress Party and the Jana Sena Party, Mr. Naidu called upon the people to defeat the two regional parties in the next general elections.
The TDP would continue its fight for the Special Category Status (SCS) and would fight anybody for justice, he said.
Polavaram
He challenged the YSRCP MPs to get their resignations accepted and go for by-elections. The Lok Sabha by-elections would be a referendum for the 2019 elections. The YSRCP would go into oblivion and the TDP would win all the 25 LS seats in the State, he said.
Stating that 55% Polavaram works had been completed so far, he said the project would be completed by 2019-end if the Central Government extended the promised financial assistance.
“None can stop me from completing the Polavaram project,” he maintained.
Mr. Naidu said that his government planned to dig 7.25 lakh ponds in the State. He later performed ‘Jalaharathi’ at the Jonnagiri tank.
Mr. Naidu also inspected the ‘Panta Sanjeevani’ check-dam, de-silting of a stream under the Neeru-Chettu scheme, and interacted with the farmers and NREGS workers. Each worker was getting ₹20,000 by working for 100 days in a year. The government was paying ₹1,500 crore as wages per month, he added.
The State would be drought-free if the groundwater level was increased by eight metres, Mr. Naidu said. Farm ponds were dug to conserve rain water in the villages. He unveiled a pylon to mark completion of the five lakh farm ponds in the State.
Deputy Chief Minister K.E. Krishnamurthy, district in-charge Minister Kalava Srinivasulu, Irrigation Minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao, Kurnool MP Butta Renuka, Irrigation Secretary Shashi Bhushan Kumar, Director of Rural Development Ranjith Basha, Collector S. Satyanarayana, DWMA Project Director Venkatasubbaiah, and additional Project Director Nageswara Rao took part.