Vijayawada: Minister for IT and panchayat raj N. Lokesh has challenged Opposition leaders to prove the allegations against him and claimed that Telugu Desam has been working for the welfare of the public and the state’s development in a transparent manner. He laid the foundation stone for the construction of TD Krishna district office at Gurunanak Colony in Vijayawada city on Saturday.
Addressing the public, he claimed that CM’s Yuvanestham programme, that was meant to provide assistance to unemployed, created a new record in the country with 3 lakh unemployed youth getting qualified for the dole scheme.
Mr Lokesh said that there was no permanent office for TD in Krishna district since the past 30 years and praised the TD local leaders for coming forward for the construction of the district office. He lamented that 670 leaders and TD activists were killed in 10 years while TD was in the Opposition in the State. He stated that AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu faced threat as an Opposition leader in the AP Assembly and TD leaders and activists were forced to leave the party but the TD cadre adhered to the party. “Hence, dedicated cadre are the power and strength of TD since years,” he said.
Mr Lokesh said that in the year 2014, TD started party workers’ welfare fund to help the cadre and explained that Rs 23 crore were spent on the health of the cadre and Rs 60 crore on accidental insurance scheme which shows the dedication of TD towards its cadre.
Mr Lokesh alleged that YSR Congress president and Opposition leader Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy spent 16 months in the jail and is still facing corruption cases but forgetting the same, he has been trying to defame the TD which is severely objectionable.
He alleged that Jagan never tried to visit cyclone-hit areas despite conducting a walkathon in the adjacent district and after seven days of cyclone, Jana Sena founder president K. Pawan Kalyan alleged the absence of relief works which is totally false.
He claimed that 15 ministers, 35 IAS officials and 100 deputy collectors, with their employees and workers, stayed in the Cyclone Titli-affected areas doing relief works. Mr Lokesh challenged Jagan and Pawan to prove the allegations levelled against him. Mr Lokesh said that TD’s election campaign for 2019 will begin from Krishna district’s TD office.
Former Union minister and TD MP Y. Sujana Chowdary announced to supply steel and iron free of cost to Krishna district’s TD office from Sujana Steel Factory. Several other leaders generously announced donations for the party office construction. Ministers D. Umamaheswara Rao and K. Ravindra, MLAs, MLCs and TD leaders participated in the programme.
