Chiru party will have no impact on TDP: Naidu

The entry of Chiranjeevi into politics will in no way affect the Telugu Desam Party which has a track record of 26 years in playing dominant role in state and national level politics, party president N Chandrababu Naidu said on Monday.
At a press conference here after his return from 117 days of ‘Mee Kosam’ yatra, Naidu said there was in fact nothing for the TDP to react since so far, “Chiranjeevi has only announced his intention to jump into politics. Let them reveal their agenda, policies and programmes first,” he said.
Asked if he foresees a hung Assembly, Naidu said, “after my 117 days of Mee Kosam yatra, I have felt the pulse of the people. The possibility of a new party on the political horizon also used to figure during the interactions but my assessment is that the people want the TDP back in power and we will win hands down.”
When pointed out that Chiranjeevi was of the opinion that the Congress and TDP had lost their sensitivity to the problems of common man and hence there was a vacuum which his party would fill, Naidu said, “since inception, the TDP has always been sensitive to the problems and aspirations of the people.”
“Starting with the slogan of Telugu Atmagauravam, we went on to build self confidence among the people and succeeded in putting the state on theinternational map and brought in several reforms. I undertook the Mee Kosam yatra only because we were sensitive towards the people’s suffering in the state under the ‘demonic’ Congress rule. We have a strong cadre and we are least perturbed by Chiranjeevi’s entry into politics,” he said.
Naidu said in a democracy, anyone can float a political party. “I will not be surprised if few more parties come up before the elections. People will decide the future of the parties. With the emergence of a new party, new issues and new situations may arise but, still, nothing will happen to the TDP. We have a strong cadre and a clear agenda and public support and I am confident that we will win hands down. No one can touch us,” he said.