Naidu begins marathon padayatra

Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday began his 117-day long padyatra from Hindupur of Anantapur district.

Before proceeding to Hindupur Naidu, accompanied by his wife Bhuvaneswari and son Lokesh, visited the NTR ghat and paid floral tributes to the samadhi of NT Rama Rao. Later he also garlanded the statue of Mahatma Gandhi at MG Road in Secundrabad on the ocassion of Gandhi Jayanti on Tuesday.

Speaking on the occasion Naidu said that the life story of Mahatma Gandhi and his sacrifices for the poor were a role model for the entire world. He said the contribution of Mahatma was hailed not only by Indians but the entire world as he used the weapon of Satyagraha as the more volatile and non-violence method of democratic tool to protest against injustice.

The TDP President took a flight to Bangalore and then reached Hindupur by road. He began his padayatra after performing pooja at Nugur Anjaneya Swamy temple. His family members also performed Sri Laxmi Ganapathi homam at his ancestral home in Naravaripally. The party's students’ wing offered 108 coconuts to Lord Balaji, while the Mahila wing offered special prayers.

Naidu will walk about 2,340 kilometres covering 16 districts of the State in the next 117 days. The Yatra is most likely to conclude on January 26 next year. Naidu believes that through his padayatra christened as "Vastunna Mee Kosam" he would be able to study the problems being faced by different sections of the society and he would solve them when he comes to power after next elections.

The Hindupur seat was represented by TDP founder NTR three times and the TDP leaders believe that the same sentiments would bring the party back to power in the next elections. Naidu is likely to cover two Rayalaseema, eight Telangana and six coastal Andhra districts in the next 117 days.