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Naidu seeks to revive NTR's pet theme

The ruling Telugu Desam Party has begun harping on atma gauravam (Telugu self-respect) to counter the Sonia Gandhi factor at the hustings.

Ever since Sonia Gandhi decided to campaign for the Congress, the TDP has been focusing on this theme, first used by N T Rama Rao in 1983 to come to power in the state.

Playing up issues like atma gauravam and adapadachu (Telugu daughters) gauravam, NTR rode to power in 1983. Episodes like then prime minister Indira Gandhi pulling up in public then chief minister T Anjaiah and the plight of Andhra Pradesh chief ministers, who were made to run from pillar to post in Delhi, were his major election issues.

''Being a one-billion-strong nation, should we look to a foreigner to draw inspiration?'' TDP supremo and United Front chairman N Chandrababu Naidu told the media.

The chief minister maintained that Sonia will have no impact on the people of Andhra Pradesh.

Naidu said his weekly statewide computer surveys have indicated that his party will romp home with 30 out of the 42 seats in AP.

While Congress leaders spent nearly a fortnight to mobilise crowds from all over the state for Sonia's rally, he claimed the TDP restricted its efforts to the nearby districts of Medak, Ranga Reddy, Nalgonda and Mahabubnagar besides Hyderabad.

Admitting that the state farmers have been having a harrowing time, Naidu said he spared no effort to provide succor to them. Every cotton farmer is now being provided with a cash subsidy of Rs 1,250 per hectare and the state government has embarked a sum of Rs 400 million for the purpose.

On the power front, his government has added 1,250 mw through new power projects in the last two years, the chief minister said. ''The government is curtailing supply to industries to ensure that the farmers will not suffer,'' he said.

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