Telugu Desam MPs to Strongly Push AP Issues in Parliament

Vijayawada:Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Friday chaired the Telugu Desam parliamentary party meeting at his camp office in Amaravati and outlined the party's strategy for the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament beginning July 20.

Naidu, who’s also the party president, called upon the MPs to actively pursue Andhra Pradesh's interests while maintaining close coordination with the NDA government at the Centre.

He reviewed key national legislations coming up during the session, including the Delimitation Bill, Women's Reservation Bill, the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, and policies relating to agriculture, the economy, ethanol-blended petrol and viability gap funding (VGF) for infrastructure projects.

Naidu asked education minister Nara Lokesh to undertake a detailed study of the proposed Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, which sought to establish a unified higher education regulator replacing the UGC, AICTE and NCTE. While favouring wider adoption of ethanol-blended petrol to improve farmers' incomes, he said concerns over its impact on vehicle engines must also be addressed.

The CM instructed MPs to effectively counter Opposition attempts to corner the Centre on sensitive issues and coordinate closely with the BJP. He briefed them on the state's ongoing engagement with the central government on river interlinking, the Purvodaya project, Polavaram, Amaravati capital works, Central funding, rehabilitation of project-affected families, investment promotion, the Godavari-Penna river link and infrastructure for the South Coast Railway Zone.

Naidu said he had urged the Centre to reduce aqua feed costs and regulate fish oil exports to support the aquaculture sector. He also encouraged MPs to organise credit outreach programmes on the lines of the successful Palnadu initiative and take government welfare and development programmes directly to the people.

The meeting also discussed alleged spread of misinformation via social media and the recent accident controversy involving the son of former minister Seediri Appalaraju. Naidu accused the Opposition of attempting to shield the erranta.

Local body polls: The CM said local body elections would be held soon and directed MPs to work closely with alliance partners to secure victory in all seats. He also announced a two-day workshop for elected representatives and party functionaries.

Lokesh urged public representatives to stay connected with party workers, saying strong grassroots engagement would further energise the cadre.