Asserting that backward classes were the backbone of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Andhra Pradesh Opposition leader N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday, 27 April, called on the community to assess their status in society before and after the emergence of TDP.
Naidu made the remarks during an interaction with members from backward class communities at Sattenapalli in the Palnadu district.
The former chief minister said that the community had been backwards both politically and economically earlier, but it was NT Rama Rao, founder of TDP, who made a difference to their status.
“Rao gave them a boost and encouraged them in all sectors. By creating 24 percent reservation, NT Rama Rao promoted them in politics,” Naidu said in a release.
Also read: Jagan compares Naidu with sly ageing tiger
Rise of backward class leaders
Listing out backward class leaders names such as Kinjarapu Yerran Naidu, Devendar Goud, KE Krishna Murthy, Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, Ayyanna Patrudu, Ram Mohan Naidu, and Kollu Ravindra among others, he said it was the TDP that gave them a platform to grow.
Further, the former chief minister observed that the TDP introduced a sub-plan and spent ₹36,000 crore for backward classes (BC) welfare, adding that there is no TDP without BCs.
Naidu’s assertions assume significance as ruling YSRCP leaders constantly claim that TDP does not care for BCs. Naidu challenged this claim and questioned what purpose were the various corporations formed by the current government serving.
Also read: From ‘terrorist’ to ‘visionary’
He questioned if the average revenue earned by BCs rose in the past four years under the YSRCP government.
Naidu said that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s father BN Yugandhar had worked under him, and called on backwards-class children to take inspiration from Nadella and follow in his footsteps.
(Disclaimer: The headline, subheads, and intro of this report along with the photos may have been reworked by South First. The rest of the content is from a syndicated feed, and has been edited for style.)
