Politicians, mining and land mafia ruling roost in A.P.: Naidu

Accusing the ruling Congress of failing to maintain law and order, Telugu Desam Party president N. Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday said “political mafia, mining mafia and land mafia” were ruling the roost in Andhra Pradesh.

“There is no security for people in the state because of the political mafia while the mining mafia has been plundering precious national wealth,” he told the valedictory session of the TDP’s three-day meet at Gandipet near here.

Naidu alleged that the police was being misused by the ruling party to serve its vested political interests.

He said the so-called safety and security committee in the state headed by Rajya Sabha member K.V.P. Ramachandra Raohas has failed to do anything. “It should be disbanded forthwith,” he said.

The TDP chief strongly condemned the growing attacks on his party cadre by the ruling party. “We shall not tolerate these attacks and resist them by all means,” he said.

Mr. Naidu said no one could stop the TDP’s victory in any election in future. “But we want the Election Commission to do away with the Electronic Voting Machines and revert to the ballot paper system. EVMs can be used to rig the election and manipulate the result in favour of a particular party,” he said.

Earlier, film star and TDP founder-president N.T. Rama Rao’s son Nandamuri Balakrishna foresaw the possibility of mid-term elections in the state soon due to bickering within the ruling party.

“Be geared up for Assembly elections, not four years later but anytime soon,” said Mr. Balakrishna, who was one of the attractions at the ‘Mahanadu’ on the final day.

The TDP would return to power and Mr. Chandrababu would become Chief Minister whenever elections are held, he said.

Young star and Mr. Balakrishna’s nephew NTR Junior said he would work for the party “till the last drop of my blood.”

“My aim is to restore glory to the party and bring it back to power. I appeal to the party president to give due prominence to youth and women,” he said.

The three-day annual conference culminated with the unanimous re-election of Mr. Naidu as the TDP president for the 15th year in a row.