Hyderabad, April 14: The Telugu Desam president and Mahakutami charioteer, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, dismissed poll surveys predicting a win for the Congress as frivolous and exuded confidence about the Mahakutami emerging as number one in the elections.
Mr Naidu, who will return to Hyderabad to cast his vote in his Jubilee Hills Assembly constituency on April 16, asserted that Mahakutami would get 110 Assembly seats out of 154 in the first phase and and 16/17 Lok Sabha seats.
In an exclusive interview to this newspaper, Mr Naidu said people were sick of the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, and wanted change. He further pointed out that the cash transfer scheme and colour TV scheme would be the Mahakutami’s trump card.
Campaigning for first phase of polls has come to an end. You have toured both north coastal districts and Telangana region. What’s your feedback?
The response from people of Telangana and north Coastal region has been overwhelming in contrast to the listless campaign of YSR and the meetings of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. People of Pulivendula kept themselves away from YSR’s filing of nomination papers. This has happened for the first time in 30 years. What does it mean? The message is enough is enough.
How many seats are you expecting for the Mahakutami?
If we take the 2008 by-polls as a reference point the votes polled by the TD, the TRS, the CPI(M) and the CPI in 40 Assembly constituencies, it works out to little more than 62 per cent. The Congress got about 30 percent. This means a 32 per cent edge for Mahakutami in Telangana over the Congress. Added to this are our cash transfer and colour TV schemes which are sending shivers down the spine of Congressmen. In my assessment, in the first stage of polls we will get 110 of 154 Assembly seats and 16 to 17 of the 22 Lok Sabha seats.
But surveys give an edge to Congress?
The less said about poll surveys the better. Today one daily published a survey saying the Congress will get 15 of the 17 seats in Guntur. Even Congressmen are laughing at it. The reality is that Mahakutami is way ahead of others. The Chief Minister, his ministers and Congress candidates are being questioned by the people at most places. People are angry. Prices of essential commodities are still ruling high. One can’t fool people all the time.
How would you compare your image with that of YSR and Chiranjeevi?
People of our state have seen how I worked for them day and night for nine years as CM. They know what my priorities are. I believe in asset creation and its redistribution among the poor and the hapless. YSR, on the contrary, revels in garnering for himself the existing assets of the people. That is what he has been doing for the last five years. Chiranjeevi has no administrative experience to analyse and comment.
Congressmen say people don’t believe your schemes.
Last time when I talked of providing gas connections under Deepam scheme many raised hackles. But we gave 35 lakh connections. Cash transfer scheme has been acknowledged by experts and economists. Your paper reported that TV sales came down significantly following our announcement. What more proof you need?
You have been projected as CM by the TRS and Left parties.
What can I say? I am grateful to them for their confidence in me.
What are the chances of TRS president, Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao, from Mahbubnagar? There are complains that the TD is not fully with him.
KCR will come out with flying colours in Mahbubnagar. The TD is fully behind him and vigorously working for him.
Corruption has not caught on as an election issue. What is your strategy for the second phase?
To say that people do not mind corruption is to insult them. The only people prospering in our state are the CM, his son and family and a chosen few. All these public funds could have been used for the good of the people. The consequences of corruption on the common man are now widely acknowledged. People are only waiting to retaliate.
Your son Lokesh campaigned in Kuppam. Will he take up your mantle?
Since I could not go myself to file nomination papers in Kuppam, he had done it. He did not actually campaign. He is well informed and wise enough to take decisions concerning his future.
The alliance led to denial of tickets to several senior TD leaders. How do you propose to utilise their services?
No one would understand the pain and agony I had undergone when I was not able to accommodate all deserving leaders in seat allocation. I am grateful to all those who stood by the party. Our party will duly recognise their contribution.
No comments:
Post a Comment