Telugu Desam Party (TDP) general secretary Nara Lokesh’s Yuva Galam padayatra in Vijayawada has failed to evoke any public response in Vijayawada city, and looked like an evening walk by Mr. Lokesh, YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leaders alleged.
Addressing a press conference at the party office at Tadepalli on Sunday, YSRCP MLAs Malladi Vishnu and Velampalli Srinivas and Vijayawada East Coordinator Devineni Avinash said the TDP padayatra was boycotted even by its own MPs like Kesineni Srinivas (Nani) and Galla Jayadev. Many of the TDP leaders did not take part in the padayatra and paid artists from other constituencies had to be roped in, the YSRCP leaders said.
People are not taking cognisance of the yatras by Jana Sena Party (JSP) chief Pawan Kalyan, TDP national president N. Chandrababu Naidu and Mr. Lokesh. Though the previous TDP government did not give permission for YSRCP president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s padayatra on Prakasam barrage, the present government did not create any such hurdles and allowed Mr. Lokesh to carry on the padayatra on Prakasam barrage, they said.
Mr. Srinivas said that the TDP president had grandiose plans of rejuvenating the party with Mr. Lokesh’s padayatra. But, there was no response from the public. Hence, he pressed Mr. Pawan Kalyan into action. Except criticising the State government, the JSP leader has nothing to claim. In fact, Mr. Pawan Kalyan lost his credibility due to the frequent mudslinging against the State government. Mr. Naidu, Mr. Lokesh and Mr. Pawan Kalyan are responsible for the demolition of temples in the city under the pretext of Krishna Pushkaram arrangements, he alleged.
“Hired people were brought for the photoshoot on Prakasam Barrage at a cost of ₹5 crore. Mr. Lokesh was unable to tell the Vijayawada people what the TDP government did for them. During the five-year rule, the TDP government did gross injustice to Vijayawada. The TDP government diverted ₹500 crore released by the Centre for development of Vijayawada. Counterfeit TDR bonds were sold by the TDP government,” Mr. Vishnu alleged.
“It was the TDP government that demolished the temples in the city. Tantrik rituals were performed in Kanaka Durga temple, and a goushala on Brahmana veedhi was demolished. The purohits who used to eke out their livelihood at Krishna river banks were thrown out of the ghats. The TDP has to spell out what welfare schemes and programmes had it instituted for Vysyas, Brahmins and Muslims,” Mr. Vishnu added.
