Chief Minister-designate and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national president N. Chandrababu Naidu has said that the mandate given to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was not power, but a bounden responsibility.
“Construction of the Capital city in Amaravati and completion of Polavaram projects are among the major priorities of the government. We have to take up the interlinking of rivers too and ensure irrigation water for every acre in the State. There is no room for demolitions and vindictive politics,” said Mr. Naidu, while addressing a meeting of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) organised to elect the Legislature Party leader on June 11 (Wednesday).
Mr. Naidu said that the 2024 mandate would always remain in the pages of the history of the State. Not even in the 1994 elections, such an overwhelming majority and vote share was achieved. In this election, the NDA lost only 11 seats and polled 57% votes in its favour. The alliance has made a clean sweep in Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies, barring a few. The Jana Sena Party (JSP) won all the 21 seats where it contested, while the BJP won eight of the 10 Assembly constituencies, he said.
TDP national president N. Chandrababu Naidu and JSP chief Pawan Kalyan at a meeting of NDA MLAs in Vijayawada on June 11. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
“The people have done their part to save the State. The onus lies on us to ensure that their aspirations and expectations are not belied. Our responsibilities have increased manifold. We have to honour the public mandate. We should not let the power go into our heads. It is not correct to pardon the guilty. There is a need to clean the vindictive politics,” said Mr. Naidu.
Showering praises on Jana Sena Party (JSP) president Pawan Kalyan, Mr. Naidu said that he could never forget the initiative taken by the latter. “Mr. Pawan Kalyan called on me in the prison and told me that the JSP would ally with the TDP. The JSP and TDP allied with the BJP for the State’s interests. We worked together, giving no room to misunderstandings. The Central government will extend all possible support to develop Andhra Pradesh. The Union government has assured that it would cooperate with the State government in its endeavours,” he said.
Mr. Naidu said that he knew only one thing: how to work hard for the welfare of the people. “Proceedings in the Assembly should be conducted respectably,” he said. Recalling how he was humiliated on the floor of the Assembly, the Chief Minister-designate said that his vow to enter the House in the capacity of the Chief Minister would be fulfilled finally.
