‘Yuva Galam’ padayatra by Lokesh has rejuvenated TDP activists in Andhra Pradesh, says Ganta

Telugu Desam Party national general secretary N. Lokesh’s ‘Yuva Galam’ has rejuvenated the party cadre, and the tremendous response from the youth and women to the padayatra is an indication of the growing support to the Telugu Desam Party in the State, former Minister and MLA Ganta Srinivasa Rao has said

Telugu Desam Party national general secretary N. Lokesh’s ‘Yuva Galam’ has rejuvenated the party cadre, and the tremendous response from the youth and women to the padayatra is an indication of the growing support to the Telugu Desam Party in the State, former Minister and MLA Ganta Srinivasa Rao has said.

Mr. Ganta Srinivasa Rao along with former Minister Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy and TDP Parliament district president Palla Srinivasa Rao addressed a media conference, here, on Friday to celebrate the completion of 1,000 km of the 4,000-km padayatra being undertaken by Mr. Lokesh.

Mr. Ganta Srinivasa Rao said that the ‘countdown’ has begun for YSR Congress Party government with 355 days more to go for the next general elections. The good show put up by the TDP candidates in the recent MLC elections was an indication that the people were in favour of bringing back the TDP to power, and wanted to teach the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government a lesson.

Referring to the monthly visits of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy to Delhi, Mr. Srinivasa Rao said that Mr. Reddy was meeting the BJP leaders and Union Ministers but failed to convene a single press conference to tell the people on what he had done for the State through his visits to Delhi.

On the ruling party’s obsession of renaming of public places and institutions in the name of former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, the TDP leader said that the renaming of NTR University of Health Sciences (NTR UHS) and Sitakonda viewpoint in Visakhapatnam has hurt the sentiments of the local people. He recalled that in the past, public places and institutions used to be named after national or regional leaders, irrespective of their party affiliations.

Mr. Srinivasa Rao said that no parallel could be drawn between the padayatra of Mr. Lokesh and Mr. Jagan. While Mr. Lokesh is continuing his padayatra, almost without a break except during the death of actor Tarakaratna and camped at the places en route his yatra. He termed the padayatra of Mr. Reddy as ‘relay padayatra’ as he had to attend court every week during the yatra.

Referring to the statements of the Chief Minister that he would shift to Visakhapatnam along with his family and start ruling from the city from September, Mr. Satyanarayana Murthy said that Mr. Jagan should rather get the jails repaired as all those responsible for the murder of Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy were sure to be booked by the CBI.