Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday expressed his deep dismay at the decreasing standards of politicians, criticising his party leaders as well as Telangana Rashtra Samithi MLA Harish Rao for their words and actions, especially of the past few days.
The former chief minister, addressing a party workshop at the NTR Trust Bhavan, severely criticised the physical attack on Officer on Special Duty Chander Rao at Andhra Pradesh Bhavan by Mr Harish Rao as well as the war of words between his party leaders Payyavula Keshav and Revanth Reddy. Mr Naidu said that Mr Harish Rao’s slapping of the OSD was condemnable and unfortunate and not befitting an MLA. “It is not a good sign that elected representatives are resorting to physical attacks on officials. Mr Harish Rao should have targeted the government for failing to ensure that Yadireddy’s body should have been take to the Andhra Pradesh Bhavan in New Delhi, instead of slapping Mr Chander Rao,” the TDP president stated. Expressing his sympathies to family of Yadireddy, who committed suicide for the cause of Telangana in New Delhi, Mr Naidu called on the students’ community not to resort to such extreme steps. Stating that such extreme steps further precipitate matters, the former chief minister said that suicides are not the solution. He also exhorted all leaders to desist from making provocative statements hurting the sentiments of the people. He also condemned the vitriolic speeches of TDP MLAs Revanth Reddy and Payyavula Kesav and advised them not to repeat such provocative statements. “The speeches of these TDP leaders have pained me,” the former chief minister said. Mr Keshav had called on the Seemandhra people to form suicide squads to attack Telangana leaders. Countering Mr Keshav’s statement Mr Revanth Reddy had said the Seemandhra leaders are far more dangerous than Pakistani terrorists. Mr Naidu also blamed the Centre for the delay in finding a solution to the separate Telangana statehood issue. Stating the TDP was working to protect the people’s interests, the former chief minister blamed political parties for using people for their selfish interests.