TDP, Congress ‘exploiting’ late NTR to woo voters

Express News Service
First Published : 02 Mar 2009 04:36:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 02 Mar 2009 12:57:26 PM IST

HYDERABAD: Even after 13 years of his death, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) founder NTR is here again to influence voters either in favour of the Congress or the TDP in the next elections.

The telecast of NTR’s animated image in advertisements in regional news channels is snowballing into a controversy. In the advertisement released by the TDP, the animated image of NTR `exposed’ Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy and directed him to go to Idupulapaya to take rest after the next elections.

And now, in the advertisement issued for the Congress, NTR is seen presenting `Sudarsana Chakram’ to Y S Rajasekhara Reddy to `behead’ TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu for stabbing him (NTR) in the back.

It all began after the TDP released a series of advertisements -- Banti and Chanti, two chickens painted yellow, discussing corruption of the Congress -- on the corruption of the Rajasekhara Reddy Government.

In the subsequent advertisements released for the Congress, a `sadhu’ sprinkles water on the chickens and makes them come out in their true colours. The chickens will reveal their identity as `cunning foxes’ which had been spreading falsehood against the Congress.

To counter this, the TDP released an advertisement in which an animated image of the NTR exposed the `Congress sadhu’ as Y S Rajasekhara Reddy and directed him to go to Idupulapaya to take rest there.

Now, the animated NTR of the Congress, while presenting `Sudarsana Chakram’ to Rajasekhara Reddy, uses the choicest abuses in Telugu like `Tucchudu and neechudu’ against TDP president Chandrababu Naidu who backstabbed NTR.

“Take this `chakram’ and eliminate Naidu from politics,” the animated NTR is seen directing Rajasekhara Reddy. However, Union Minister and NTR’s daughter D Purandhareswari objected to the TDP using NTR for advertisements.

TDP leader K Yerran Naidu said the Congress had no right to use NTR for its campaign. “The Congress mainly banked on the backstabbing issue in 1999 elections. But, the people rejected it by reposing faith in the TDP. The Congress did not use the backstabbing issue in 2004 elections,” Yerran Naidu recalled. The campaign of the Congress on the `family coup’ against Naidu would not work its favour, he averred. By using NTR for the campaign, the 112-year Congress was exposing its bankruptcy, he alleged.