On a day President Draupadi Murmu released a commemorative coin on noted Telugu actor and politician NT Rama Rao on his centenary year which was well attended by his family including TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy slammed him for betraying the TDP founder and grabbing his party.
The event held at Rashtrapati Bhavan saw Naidu in deep conversation with BJP national president JP Nadda in the presence of TDP and BJP leaders from Andhra Pradesh including state president of BJP Daggubati Purundeshwari who is also the daughter of NT Rama Rao.
YSRCP’s dissident MP K Raghu Rama Krishna Raju, a known baiter of YS Jagan Mohan was also present at the event. Soon after the chief minister lashed out at Chandrababu Naidu. TDP is desperately trying to work out an alliance before polls in Andhra Pradesh and YSRCP is wary of any such move by the two parties.
Meanwhile, Reddy while addressing a public rally at Nagari in Chittoor district after he released Rs 680 crore as financial assistance as fee remuneration for students pursuing engineering, medicine or courses in polytechnic and ITI reminded the people of Naidu’s betrayal of NTR by staging an internal coup in 1995, popularly known in the political circles as the August coup. Naidu is married to NTR’s daughter Bhuvaneshwari.
“Today we are witnessing Chandrababu Naidu shamelessly taking part in the launch of commemorative coin of Rs100 honouring NTR, despite his history of betraying NTR and grabbing his political party,” said the chief minister.
Lashing out at Naidu, he said: “They are the same individuals that snatched NTR’s position, stole his party and bear the sole responsibility for NTR’s demise,” referring to the Telugu star actor’s demise in January, 1996 after he was stripped of power and authority following the coup. NTR’s children and other family members had also sided with Naidu and his son Harikrishna also became a minister in his Cabinet.
The Chief Minister referred to recent violence in Punganur and Angulla ahead of Naidu’s public rally as TDP supporters clashed with the police. “Chandrababu Naidu and his henchmen are very adept at playing politics over dead bodies,” said Reddy while pointing out that the police had restrained in order to control the situation which left a number of policemen injured including one who lost his vision.
Naidu also complained to the Election Commission of India that the electoral machinery was not being allowed to function independently in AP and Reddy hit back at him wondering how he could complain when he was the mastermind behind bogus voters.