Amaravati, Oct 19 Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday accused YSRCP supremo YS Jagan Mohan Reddy of opposing the CEC because the poll body “doesn’t do what he says”.
Addressing a press conference at his residence in Undavalli, the chief minister said, “Earlier you (Jagan) supported the CEC (appointment procedure), but now since they (EC) do not do what you say, you oppose. Now you are saying Gen Z… Gen Z”.
Naidu’s remarks come a day after the former CM on Sunday regretted supporting the 2023 legislation to select the Chief Election Commissioner when his party was in power in the state.
The CM criticised Jagan’s recent comments that the arrest of CJP leaders will not solve anything and that “trust in the electoral process” must be restored. The CM said he didn’t understand the rationale behind Jagan’s approach.
“I don’t understand. Gen Z means as if they are ready to carry all these corrupt people. Not thinking about their aspirations, using them as pawns,” he said.
Naidu wondered whether Gen Z should go with parties like YSRCP and others to allegedly spoil their future.
He claimed that people with emotions and aspirations are being misled and called it the “work of YSRCP”.
“They will encourage a person to commit a crime, then they will secure his release and then encourage them to do a bigger crime, and over a period of time they will be made into big criminals; that is their sign,” he alleged, alluding to YSRCP.
He called for “this culture to go away”, noting that it will become a problem when political parties allegedly patronise such a culture.
“You have seen me for 45 years; I do not allow any rowdy to approach me or sit. I have a character; I do values-based politics,” Naidu asserted.
While the TDP-led NDA coalition government is working for development, the YSRCP is working for destruction, Naidu claimed.
Recalling local bodies polls during the previous government, Naidu alleged that 24 per cent MPTC and 19 per cent ZPTC positions were filled unanimously compared to only two per cent MPTC positions and 0.09 per cent ZPTC positions being filled through that route in 2014.
“The previous YSRCP government had abused power and ushered in a law to disqualify opposition candidates in the local bodies’ polls,” and liquor bottles were placed in their homes, Naidu alleged.
“Back then, opposition parties were not allowed to file nominations. Nominations were not allowed to be filed in Pulivendula. Today, various parties filed nominations in Kuppam, Pithapuram and Pulivendula,” he asserted.
The TDP chief also alleged that YSRCP “believed in violence back then and now also and has become a factory to produce criminals”.
Naidu said the alleged atrocities of YSRCP will be tackled by the government as well as by TDP politically, and he claimed, “violence is in the DNA of YSRCP”.
According to the CM, the Rayalaseema region in the southern state lost 70 years to ‘factionalism’, and he compared Jagan to Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, apart from levelling other allegations.
Naidu also played a video showcasing the alleged violence unleashed by the YSRCP during the ongoing local bodies polls and also during the previous YSRCP government.
Further, Naidu accused the previous YSRCP government of diverting funds from local bodies and spending only Rs 2,000 crore on Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) when other states had “drawn Rs 1 lakh crore” under this scheme.
Naidu appealed to the people of the state to exhibit the same spirit displayed during the 2024 polls to vote for the coalition candidates in the ongoing local bodies polls.
Observing that the southern state has the Centre’s support, Naidu said that for development he needs people’s support in the form of votes in the local body polls.
The CM also listed out the achievements of the coalition government over the past two years.
(PTI News)
