People of AP have got freedom: Naidu

TDP chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu has thanked the people of Andhra Pradesh and the alliance partners for the big win in the general elections. Addressing the media a day after the announcement of the election results, Chandrababu Naidu said that the massive win is about more responsibility, not enjoying power. He said that he joined hands with Pawan Kalyan to ensure that the votes do not split. Even BJP joined the alliance before the election that ensured the big win.
“The voters extended massive support to the call given by the alliance that the ‘people should win and the State should survive’,” Chandrababu Naidui said, addressing his maiden media conference after the election win. The TDP chief acknowledged that the resounding victory has been made possible only by the coordinated efforts of all the leaders and activists of the alliance partners.
Chandrababu said that the nation, democracy and political parties are permanent, not individuals. Several parties have disappeared from the political scenario. With this verdict, the people of the State have got freedom, he stated.
“For the first time I have witnessed such historic elections as even expatriates travelled to the State to exercise their franchise spending lakhs of rupees,” an emotional Naidu said. Recalling that TDP had won 200 Assembly seats in the elections held immediately after the party was founded, Naidu said that in 1994 polls the then Opposition party did not get back the deposit in certain seats.
“The people of the State have suffered a lot in the past five years,” he said. The alliance polled 55.38 per cent of votes, of which the TDP alone polled 45.6 per cent. YSRCP got a mere 39.37 per cent of votes. Many TDP candidates won with over 95,000 vote margin, he pointed out.
Recalling how the TDP leaders were harassed in the past five years by framing illegal cases against them, Naidu remarked that he is feeling ashamed how the media and common man were harassed in the past five years. Even the Jana Sena chief, Pawan Kalayan, was not allowed to move freely in the port city of Visakhapatnam, he said.
“We have decided to function not as rulers, but as servants and we feel that the power given to us is a responsibility,” he said.
Super-Six and Praja Galam have gone deep into people’s minds, Chandrababu said and stated that he appreciates Pawan Kalyan’s efforts to bring the three parties together to ensure that the anti-incumbency votes do not get divided.
“I also appreciate BJP State unit president Purandheswari and profusely thank the BJP national leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The caretaker chief minister, Jagan Mohan Reddy’s is a case study which clearly indicates how a leader should not function,” he said.