Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on Sunday invoked the legacy of late
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N T Rama Rao to question TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu's move to align with the
Congress, saying NTR's "atma" would be "hurt" on seeing this.
Veterans like
Telugu Desam Party (TDP) founder NTR, as he is addressed, were "insulted' by the arrogance of the "naamdars (famous)" of the Delhi family, Modi said in an apparent reference to the Congress party.
Addressing a BJP rally here, Modi questioned the rationale behind Naidu's plan to tie up with Congress, reminding him that his party's very existence was born out of the 'insult' meted out to his father-in-law by the grand old party.
In an apparent reference to the Congress, Modi said NTR used to call 'dusht' (evil) those 'insulting' Andhra Pradesh and asked why Naidu was hobnobbing with such persons today.
Modi's scathing remarks came at the meeting attended by senior party leaders, including N T Ramarao's daughter D Purandeswari, who had quit Congress to join BJP in 2014.
"The arrogance of the naamdar family in Delhi has always insulted big leaders in states. During that course of insult, NTR had decided to make make Andhra Pradesh Congress-mukt and therefore TDP came to existence."
"Today, the TDP leader (Naidu) who should have strived for a Congress-mukt Bharat, who had to crush the arrogance of the naamdaars, has sided with them," Modi said.
"Then, NT Ramarao used to call those insulting Andhra Pradesh as dusht (evil). Today, the chief minister has made them friends. Wherever NTR is today, we can assume how much his atma (soul) would have been hurt seeing this," Modi said.