'Chowkidar' giving Andhra CM sleepless nights: Modi

In a blistering attack on Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said he was having sleepless nights as the Centre was seeking an accounting of every rupee given to the state.

Addressing a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rally here amid protests across the state, he targeted the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief accusing him of corruption.

"The 'Chowkidar' (watchman) is giving him sleepless nights because we insist on seeking account for every rupee given to Andhra Pradesh for its development," he said.

Modi said that Naidu had ignored the state's development and had joined the competition by the 'Maha Milawat' in abusing him. He said the opposition alliance comprised people facing allegations of cheating the poor and the country and remarked that the law was catching up with them.

"He is using every abusive word from dictionary against me. He is insulting the great culture of Andhra," said the Prime Minister adding that he was responding for the first time after listening to these abuses for months.

Modi said Naidu had promised to turn around the infrastructure of Andhra Pradesh but instead he took a U-turn.

"He wanted to make Andhra a sun-rise state but is busy in son-rise by promoting his son. He promised new schemes for poor but pasted his own stickers on Modi's schemes," said Modi, who was on his first visit to Andhra after the TDP pulled out of his government last year, accusing the Prime Minister of not fulfilling the promises of Special Category Status and other commitments made in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014.

On Naidu's claim that he is senior to Modi, the Prime Minister said there was no dispute about it and that was why he always gave him full respect. "You are senior in changing parties, in entering alliance with new parties, you are senior in backstabbing your own father-in-law, losing election after election, and you are senior in shattering the dreams of Andhra Pradesh."

Modi wondered why Naidu bowed before the Congress which insulted the leaders of Andhra Pradesh which led to N.T. Rama Rao forming the TDP.

The Prime Minister said Naidu forgot the principles of his own party as he did not want to face the truth. He said Naidu never won successive elections and was afraid of miserably losing the coming elections.

Modi alleged that from Amaravati to Polavaram all the efforts of Naidu were to create wealth for himself. "That's why he is afraid of 'Chowkidar'. My government calls for account of every rupee of the taxpayer's money. He never had to give these accounts to Delhi in the past."

On the TDP leader's proposed protest in Delhi on Monday, Modi alleged that Naidu is going to Delhi for the 'photo session' and for sounding the bugle of his party along with many others by spending public money. "The people of Andhra should wake up and demand account for their money," he said.

On the TDP's protest with the slogan 'Modi go back', Modi said he was confident that the people of the country would fulfil this wish of TDP by bringing him back to power in the coming elections.

Modi claimed that his government extended all possible help to Andhra for its development during last 5 years but alleged that these funds were not used properly by the state government.

He said the government by announcing a new special assistance package for Andhra ensured that the state got the same financial help which it would have received under the Special Category Status. He recalled that Naidu had accepted and hailed the package but failed to make use of it and took a U-turn.

Modi said under this package various central ministries approved projects worth about Rs 3 lakh crore for Andhra Pradesh. He claimed that 10 out of the 11 institutions of higher learning approved for the state had started while six out of eight big infrastructure projects were grounded.

He assured the people that his government remained committed to work for the development of the state.

--IANS

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