In an interesting move, the AP Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu, has raked up the Bhadrachalam and Lord Ram temple issue, just less than three days before the campaigning to an end for April 11 polls.
At an election rally, Naidu stakes claim over Bhadrachalam, where the presiding deity is Lord Ram, legitimately belongs to Andhra Pradesh. It was taken away by Telangana during state bifurcation. He said for administrative purposes it was attached to Khammam, but geographically it was part of East Godavari district.
“I will fight it out, if voted back to power and get our Lord Ram back into state fold,” he thundered at an election rally in East Godavari district on Sunday evening. He wondered how can anyone dare deny our right to ‘protect, save and worship’ our Lord Rama?
He reminded the people how he succeeded to ensure seven mandals of Bhadrachalam got merged with AP soon after the 2014 polls. ‘Now, my fight will be to merge entire temple town Bhadrachalam into AP,” he added.
He criticized Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhara Rao for abusing Hindus day-in and day-out and humiliating our people too. He alleged that KCR is meddling with state politics by extending indirect support to YSRCP, in a bid to defeat him. “Crores of rupees are being pumped into our state by KCR to help Jaganmohan Reddy to win. I appeal to people, not to fall a prey and get lured with their money bags, but vote to protect our ‘self respect’ to govern ourselves,” Naidu said.
He also blamed YSRCP for spreading canards against his party by self-inflicting injuries (referring to the alleged attack on Jaganmohan Reddy’s life at Visakhapatnam airport) to derive some sympathy.
Naidu also lambasted Modi government for indirectly supporting YSRCP by misusing the premier institutions like Income Tax and Enforcement Directorate to conduct raids only on his party leaders.