Date:14/09/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/09/14/stories/2007091450980300.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Personal security: Naidu alleges bias

Staff Reporter

Telugu Desam Party president’s roadshow in the district concludes

Photo: M. Anil Kumar

All smiles: TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu takes a child in his arms on the occasion of its ‘anna prasana’ at Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple at Dwaraka Tirumala on Thursday. —

DWARAKA TIRUMALA (WEST GODAVARI): Telugu Desam Party president N. Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday charged the government with being biased against VIPs facing threat to their lives in extending personal security.

Addressing a press conference here on the last day of his road-show in the district, Mr. Naidu said: “The parameters being adopted in extending personal security to the Chief Minister and his family members are not being applied in the case of others.”

“I am not referring to my security. I leave it to the discretion of the government,” he said in reply to a question.

“Take the case of the party leader and former Home Minister, T. Devender Goud. The vehicles provided to him for security purpose are in a bad shape,” he said, and took a dig at the government for purchasing a fleet of expensive vehicles for the security of the Chief Minister at the cost of the exchequer.

He recalled how he had managed with the existing old vehicles throughout his nine-year tenure as Chief Minister in his “endeavour to save public money.”

Admitting certain hiccups in furthering the cause of the United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA), he said he would soon attempt to sort them out in consultation with other partners.

Ties with Left

On whether the TDP was getting close to the Left parties in the State, he quipped: “The YDP is ready to work with any like-minded party.”

He claimed that both the Left parties and the TDP sorted out certain differences with regard to the reform process. “The Left parties have told me that they are not against generating wealth out of reforms. Both the parties want that the benefits should reach the poor and the vulnerable sections,” he added.

The TDP was working out an alternative model of economic programme just to accomplish the task, he explained.