Women empowerment is possible only with TDP: Chandrababu Naidu

Kuppam (Andhra Pradesh), March (IANS) Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President N. Chandrababu Naidu said on Monday that women's empowerment is possible only with his party, alleging that all the welfare schemes implemented during his government were scrapped after Jagan Mohan Reddy became the Chief Minister.

Addressing a meeting of women in his home constituency Kuppam in the Chittoor district, he alleged that to mint money, the Jagan government resorted to supply of spurious liquor which resulted in women turning widows.

The TDP supremo said that the state government is giving just Rs 100 each per the beneficiaries of various schemes but looting Rs 1,000 from them through heavy prices of essentials, petrol, diesel and other commodities, including the power tariff hike.

"I get some new energy whenever I visit Kuppam... these elections should be one-sided and the TDP should emerge victorious with a massive majority. The Chief Minister’s post is nothing new to me. What is important for me is the people and the state. I am worried that when the whole world is marching ahead, Andhra Pradesh is moving in the reverse direction," Naidu said.

Recalling that some people made fun of him when he advised that every house in Kuppam should have at least two cows, the former Chief Minister said that Kuppam has now created a record in milk production.

Assuring women that he will always solidly stand by them and will see to it that their revenue too will grow, he said he had come here now to take their blessings.

Recalling that it was the TDP founder, the late N. T. Rama Rao, who had taken steps to give women a share in ancestral property, Chandrababu Naidu stated that it was his party that created reservations for women in local bodies and "women could become sarpanches, MPTCs, ZPTCs and MLAs because of the eight per cent reservations given by the TDP".

To uphold the self-respect of women, toilets were built by the TDP, he said.

Recalling various welfare schemes launched by the TDP for women like monthly pension and Pasupu Kumkuma besides Baby Kits, the former Chief Minister asked them whether these schemes are being implemented now.

He said that he believed that all the women in the state were supporters of the TDP and appealed to them to tell their husbands that the future of their kids would flourish only if they voted for his party.

Recalling with concern how he and his wife Bhuvaneswari, who has no connection whatsoever with politics, were abused on the floor of the Assembly, he told the women gathered there to work hard for the coming 40 days for the better future of the state.

"I am promising you all that I will create a poverty-free society by creating assets," he said.

Maintaining that he has been indebted to the women since they have been honouring him for the past 45 years, he said that he, as their brother, was making an appeal to them to make getting the maximum majority for his party as their target in these elections.

Stating that he will never forget the sacrifices made by the people of Kuppam, Chandrababu Naidu made a fervent appeal to them that Kuppam should be the Assembly segment that creates a record with the maximum majority in the state in these elections.