It is a historical fact that matinee idol and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N T Rama Rao founded the Telugu Desam Party on the plank of protecting the self-respect of Telugu people, who were once casually identified by the rest of the country as an offshoot of Madrasis.
Over the years, the TDP came to represent Telugu pride and was regarded as a party committed to protecting the dignity and self-respect of the Telugu people.
However, after watching the public meeting held following the inauguration of Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport at Bhogapuram in Vizianagaram district, many began wondering whether the present TDP president and Chief Minister, N Chandrababu Naidu, had mortgaged Telugu self-respect to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the NDA government at the Centre.
It is an undeniable fact that the Modi government has been extending considerable support to the Andhra Pradesh government by granting funds and approving projects.
This may partly be due to political compulsions, as the BJP depends heavily on the TDP and other key alliance partners for the stability of the NDA government. Whatever the reason, Andhra Pradesh is receiving certain benefits, and there is no doubt about that.
Therefore, at the Bhogapuram airport public meeting, it was natural for Naidu to express gratitude to Modi for supporting the state. However, he did not stop there.
Naidu went overboard in praising Modi, describing him as a superman, a global leader and an unparalleled statesman. The Chief Minister even appeared to suggest that Modi was responsible for Andhra Pradesh’s progress.
Most of Naidu’s speech was devoted to praising the Prime Minister. At one stage, he even asked the gathering to give Modi a standing ovation, while the venue echoed with chants of “Modi, Modi”.
Naidu’s son and Minister Nara Lokesh also showered praise on Modi, while giving equal credit to his father. He said “NAMO” stood for “Naidu and Modi”.
Deputy Chief Minister and Jana Sena Party president Pawan Kalyan also went overboard in praising Modi. He said Narendra Modi would remain in power until he personally chose to step down and claimed that no political leader in India was capable of defeating him.
Although the coalition government received appreciation for the launch of the international airport at Bhogapuram, all three leaders—Naidu, Lokesh and Pawan—faced criticism on social media for what many described as excessive praise aimed at pleasing Modi at the cost of Telugu self-respect.
Retired IPS officer and former CBI director M. Nageswara Rao also criticised Naidu on social media.
He questioned whether the Chief Minister had become so desperate for power that he was willing to stoop to such a level. He also asked how N T Rama Rao’s soul would feel after witnessing conduct that, in his view, trampled upon the self-respect of the Telugu people.
