Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) Working President K T Rama Rao on Monday launched a bitter attack against Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. Speaking at an event where several local leaders from the Congress joined the TRS at Telangana Bhavan in Hyderabad, KTR was responding to comments made by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief.

Naidu on Sunday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and YSR Congress President Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy were in cahoots to stall the development of Andhra Pradesh.  

In his response, KTR compared the Congress and the TDP to a snake and a mongoose, who had been fighting against each other until recently but decided to join hands for the Assembly elections in Telangana, which led to their defeat. He also said that Naidu had no right to speak about KCR as the latter had launched his own party for the aspirations of the state, while the former 'backstabbed' his own father-in-law to become Chief Minister. KTR was referring to an internal party coup in 1995 when Naidu took control of the TDP became the AP Chief Minister by dethroning his father-in-law NT Rama Rao.    

"Only Naidu can be considered as the best for putting on masks, planning conspiracies, backstabbing people and changing alliances, to come to power. No one can compete with him in these categories,” KTR was quoted as saying.

Reiterating his earlier claim that YSRCP chief Jaganmohan Reddy would win the upcoming elections in the state, KTR also told the gathering, “The people of AP have seen Naidu’s real face and will teach him a lesson in the coming elections."

Earlier in the week, the TDP chief asked people to raise their voice against Modi for going back on his word and for targeting TDP leaders fighting for justice to the state. He alleged that Modi was misusing the income tax department, the CBI and the ED against those who were raising their voice for the state's rights.

Modi was going soft on Jaganmohan Reddy though 11 charge sheets were filed against him for Rs 43,000 crore corruption, Naidu said. "When Modi became Prime Minister he promised to be harsh on the corrupt, but he is shielding them," he said.

Naidu also alleged that KCR did not want Andhra Pradesh's development as he failed to ensure Telangana's development despite being a revenue surplus state. He also accused the Telangana Chief Minister of targeting Andhra businessmen in Hyderabad to pressurise them to support Jaganmohan Reddy in the coming elections.

IANS inputs