By IANS,
Hyderabad : Andhra Pradesh’s main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) organised motorcycle rallies, blood donation camps and burst fireworks to celebrate the birthday of its chief, N. Chandrababu Naidu, who turned 61 Wednesday.
Naidu cut a cake and took blessings from a group of priests at his Jubilee Hills residence here.
Amongst those at his home to wish him were several national and state political leaders as well as workers from his TDP. Senior leader and former minister N. Janardhan Reddy, whose differences with Naidu over the Telangana issue had triggered speculation that he might leave the party, was there too.
Naidu’s brother-in-law N. Balakrishna and other members of TDP founder N.T. Rama Rao’s family also called on Naidu.
TDP leaders and activists across the state celebrated the day by cutting cakes, bursting crackers and taking out motorcycle rallies. They also conducted various programmes like blood donation camps.
A highlight was the photo exhibition organised at the NTR Trust office, the headquarters of TDP in Hyderabad. Rare photos of Naidu as a student, minister and chief minister were displayed at the exhibition, organised by the cultural wing of the party.
Naidu, who served as chief minister for nearly a decade (1995-2004), began his political career in the Congress and served as a state minister in early 1980s. He married thespian NTR’s daughter and later joined the TDP in 1982.
Unhappy with the interference of NTR’s second wife Lakshmi Parvathi in party and government affairs, Naidu unseated him from power in August 1995 and became the chief minister.