By IANS,
Hyderabad : Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy Thursday said Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N. Chandrababu Naidu was holding free film shows on the streets to attract crowds because he lacked credibility amongst the people.
The chief minister, popularly known as YSR, was reacting to roadshows by popular Telugu film actors N. Balakrishna and Junior NTR for the main opposition party.
Addressing a news conference at Tandur in Ranga Reddy district on the second day of his campaign tour, the chief minister said those turning out to see the stars would not vote for the parties they were campaigning for.
“People go to cinema theatres and spend money to watch the movies; but when the film stars are coming to them to hold free shows, it is common that they gather in large numbers to see them,” said YSR, who is leading the ruling Congress party’s election campaign.
While Balakrishna and Junior NTR, son and grandson of TDP founder N.T. Rama Rao, are campaigning for the TDP, megastar Chiranjeevi is leading the canvassing for his Praja Rajyam Party.
Chiranjeevi’s brothers and popular stars Pavan Kalyan and Naga Babu are also campaigning for the party. They are all attracting huge crowds.
“Cine glamour does not fetch votes and this was admitted by Chiranjeevi himself,” said the chief minister.
Lashing out at his main rival Naidu, YSR said the TDP chief had no credibility among people as he did nothing for their welfare during his nine-year rule and hence banking on glamour to attract voters.
YSR blamed the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) for the delay in carving out a separate state of Telangana and claimed his government took up many developmental works in the backward region.
Claiming that Congress alone could give separate statehood to Telangana, he exuded confidence that the party would win 80 assembly seats in the region and 150 seats in Andhra and Rayalaseema.
Simultaneous polls to the 294-member state assembly and the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state are scheduled to be held April 16 and 23.