Revolt against NTR was to save party: Naidu

HYDERABAD: Sixteen years after he ousted his father-in-law N T Rama Rao to become the chief minister, TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday broke his silence to clear the air and said the "revolt" was only to save the party and Andhra Pradesh. Referring to the incident that took place in 1995, Naidu said a"dushta shakti" (referring to Lakshmi Parvati) tried to destroy the party and toprotect the party from the "evil force," he had to revolt and split the party."I never thought even in my dreams that I will revolt against NTR. For me, NTRwas not just a father-in-law, but a god whom I worshipped. But he was facingproblems having come under the influence of the `evil force' and hence we wereleft with no other option to save the TDP," Naidu said at the three-day Mahanaduthat ended at Gandipet. "We tried all means to check her influenceand save the party but failed. Then, left with no option, we had to effect aleadership change and form the government (in 1995) in a democratic manner withthe support of more than 200 MLAs," he said. It may be recalled thatNaidu had staged a coup against his father-in-law and the then chief minister NT Rama Rao by causing a split in the party. Members of the NTRfamily stood by Naidu in this regard then while the Left parties also supportedhim. Subsequently, Naidu claimed his was the real Telugu Desam Party andcontinued in power for nine years. An agonised NTR died of a heart-attack inJanuary 1996. For years Naidu never spoke on the issue though hecontinued to use NTR as the party mascot to attract people who revered thecharismatic leader as a demi-god. With the NTR family now reportedlysulking over Naidu's leadership and TDP's lost glory under him, the former chiefminister tacitly used the Mahanadu platform to proclaim his loyalty towards hisfather-in-law and the party. Maintaining that politics andrelationship were different, Naidu said his only objective was to keep the TDPflag flying high forever and serve the people. Naidu was apparentlyunhappy over the rift that was witnessed on stage between him and the NTR scionN Harikrishna on Saturday when the latter refused to speak and left the venue ina huff apparently miffed over the posters of N Lokesh and reports that Naidu wastrying to promote his son as his successor. Naidu said that relationships weredifferent from politics. "My family never interfered in party matters or in thegovernment when I was the chief minister," he explained. On theissue of separate Telangana, Naidu said: "I have stated what I had to on theissue. The ball is now in the Centre's court and it is for them to take adecision." Naidu was categorical that the Telangana MLAs wouldcontinue to take up agitations in tune with the aspirations of the people of theregion. This statement assumed significance as the suspended TDP leader NJanardhan Reddy, who is in New Delhi to attend political JAC meeting, sent SMSsto all T leaders, asking them to put pressure on Naidu to pass a resolution infavour of separate Telangana state. Naidu also called on the rankand file to get ready to pull down the "inefficient and corrupt" Kiran KumarReddy government and also to fight the YSR Congress. It resolved to launchagitations in support of the farmers and the poor. He said the TDP would nothesitate to pull down the government at an appropriate time. Naidu reiteratedthat if YS Jaganmohan Reddy was sure of his numbers, he should parade hisfollowers before the governor so that a vote of confidence in the assembly canbe forced to precipitate the fall of the government. The TDP, hesaid, would move a no-confidence motion against the government during theassembly session on the farmers' issues and would not hesitate to pull down thegovernment to protect their interests. He said the monsoon would set in anotherone week's time and so far the government had not purchased the rabi crop ue tononwith no storage space available, the farmers stand the risk of the cropgetting damaged due to rains.