Naidu says PM insulted Telugu pride

TDP leader slams Manmohan for denying appointment after officially launching the UNPA

NEW DELHI: The United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA) was officially launched here on Tuesday sans sulking AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa, with Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh as chairman, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) boss Chandrababu Naidu as convenor and SP general secretary Amar Singh as spokesperson.

Soon after its launch and in tune with the prevailing mid-term election mood, Naidu launched a blistering attack on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for “insulting the Telugu pride”.

Naidu, here for the last two days for the UNPA meet and confabulations with the Left leaders, said he has been requesting for an appointment with the Prime Minister for the last 14 days to discuss the minimum support price for distressed farmers. But the PMO did not respond.

His party colleague K Yerran Naidu wrote two letters to the PM reminding him of the request. “But there was not even the courtesy to respond,” Naidu lamented.

The TDP chief, however, got to meet agriculture minister Sharad Pawar to discuss the paddy price.

“The Prime Minister has insulted all the farmers of India. I have been waiting here for two days. We are taking this matter very seriously. He has insulted Telugu pride. If he does not have time to hear the problems of farmers, what sort of a Prime Minister is he?

I know how to face them,” snapped Naidu when a reporter taunted him asking why did not he take the help of Prakash Karat or Sitaram Yechury (CPI(M) honchos) to get an audience with the PM.

“Am I so weak that I should get appointment through recommendations? We have our own Telugu pride and the government of India should realise this. We are going to open their eyes,” an agitated Naidu said.

With the prospect of a snap poll looming large, the UNPA comprising the SP, TDP, Indian National Lok Dal, Jharkhand Vikas Manch and Assom Gana Parishad has decided to launch a series of agitations.

Naidu will not only evoke the Telugu pride, he would also highlight the UPA government’s “indifference” to the mass suicide of farmers, Sachar Committee recommendations and the Sri Krishna Commission suggestions, non-implementation of the Task Force report on recurring and devastating floods in several states.

The UNPA has decided to mobilise farmers across the country by organising big rallies – first in Vijayawada on November 24, then in Rohtak, Jaipur, Lucknow and Ranchi.
Mualayam Singh, Amar Singh and Chautala also criticised the UPA government on the farmers’ issue, price rise and the Indo-US nuclear issue.

The UNPA leaders said a debate on the nuke deal in Parliament was a must. The government should take the sense of the House before doing anything to operationalise the deal, they said opposing the 123 agreement.

Reminding the UPA of the fate of the erstwhile NDA government, a sarcastic Amar Singh said, “The BJP government fell because of the ‘feel good’ factor, the UPA government will go down because of ‘deal good’ rhetoric.”