Chandrababu wants TDP to attain national party status

Vijayawada, Nov 20: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today said he wants to expand the TDP's base in other states so that it can become a national party.

The TDP is doing good in both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, but it should now reach other states also to attain status of a national party, Naidu said after inaugurating the party's general body meeting here. He alleged that some people from Telangana were trying to destabilise the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in that region.

The people of Hyderabad gave a good mandate to the TDP and BJP by electing MLAs from both the alliance partners during the last Assembly elections. Those in power in Telangana are unable to digest that, he said. The TDP chief said his government is committed to develop AP in all sectors and to look after the welfare of the Telugu people from both the states (AP and Telangana).

As a part of fulfilling poll promises, the AP government has announced to waive farm loans of upto Rs 1.5 lakh and also to provide debt relief to women self-help groups, Naidu said. Assuring that redsanders, liquor and sand mafias in AP will not be spared, he said the auctioning of redsanders will be taken up soon.

He said to empower those under the special scheme for DWACRA (Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas) and also to teach a lesson to sand mafias, a new sand policy has been formulated under which some sand quarries have been allocated to DWACRA groups. About 75 per cent of the revenue generated from these sand quarries will be allocated to the Farmers Empowerment Corporation, set up to provide agricultural redemption to farmers.

PTI