Jagan Mohan Reddy targets Chandrababu Naidu on latter's home turf

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday made his first foray into Kuppam, the Assembly constituency of Leader of the Opposition Nara Chandrababu Naidu in Chittoor district, as the ruling YSR Congress declared ''First Target Kuppam'' in its ambitious quest to win all 175 seats in the 2024 elections.

''Why not 175?'' is now the YSRC's war cry as it vowed to trounce Chandrababu Naidu on his home turf and, accordingly, Reddy threw the first challenge.

''If you elect Bharat (sitting MLC from the region) as your MLA in the next election, he will be made a minister (in 2024),'' he promised the people of Kuppam, obviously ignoring a similar promise he made to Alla Ramakrishna Reddy in Mangalagiri in 2019 if the latter defeated Nara Lokesh (Naidu's son). Alla Ramakrishna Reddy remains only an MLA.

Kuppam Assembly constituency is Naidu's citadel, which he successively won for seven terms.

Going by its victory in last year's civic polls, the YSRC is now aiming to dislodge the Telugu Desam Party supremo from the seat and started a campaign with the theme ''First Target Kuppam.'' The Chief Minister said Naidu was a 'local to Hyderabad' and 'non-local to Kuppam' as the latter was not even a registered voter here.

''In 33 years as your MLA, what has Chandrababu Naidu done for Kuppam? There is nothing he can claim to have done but there is a long list of what he hasn't done,'' Reddy said at a public meeting on Friday, where he initiated distribution of the third instalment of a freebie scheme Cheyuta.

''He (Chandrababu Naidu) was Chief Minister for 14 years but could not find a solution to drought in his own constituency,'' Reddy claimed.

The Chief Minister boasted that it was he who made Kuppam a revenue division, which his predecessor failed to do.

''Will there be a more incapable leader? Should we call it incapacity or a crooked mentality,'' Reddy asked.

The YSRC chief also hit out saying Kuppam was a seat that should actually go to the backward classes as they were in majority. ''And this man talks about social justice,'' he said mocking at the TDP chief.

''I proudly say that Bharat here is a BC. Elect him (as your MLA) and I will send him back as a minister,'' he said.

The Chief Minister promised to sanction Rs 100 crore for development works in four rural mandals in Kuppam, apart from Rs 66 crore for the municipality.

Deputy Chief Minister K Narayana Swamy, Ministers P R C Reddy, R K Roja, Chittoor district Collector M Hari Narayanan and others attended.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)