Grandson tries to recreate NTR's charisma for TDP

Hyderabad: Junior NTR, a popular Telugu film actor and grandson of Telugu matinee idol and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N T Rama Rao, revived memories of his grandfather as he launched the campaign of the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in the state.

Junior NTR held road shows in Srikakulam district in north coastal Andhra, drawing huge crowds. The late NTR had launched the party 26 years ago.

Standing atop a specially designed campaign vehicle, Junior NTR began his 'yatra' from Itchapuram and appealed to the Telugu people to throw out the "corrupt" Congress government.

"I have not come here to ask for your votes but only to remind you the past," he said while recalling that it was at Itchapuram that NTR had launched his 'Chaitanya yatra' in 1994 and travelled thousands of km across the state to seek the support of the people.

"The Telugu people are the symbol of political awareness," said the Junior NTR, as he is called in the film circles for his resemblance to his illustrious grandfather.

Clad in a khaki dress, similar to the one that NTR had donned during his legendary road shows, the Junior NTR tried to recreate the magic of his grandfather through theatrical punch in his speeches.

NTR, who had attained the status of a demi-god, had created record of sorts by coming to power within nine months after launching the TDP in 1982.

"We the family members are not the heir to the legacy of NTR. We are only his family members. The real heirs are the party workers," the actor said amid loud cheers by his fans and TDP workers.

He urged the people to support and strengthen the hands of Chandrababu Naidu as he was also following in the footsteps of NTR to serve the poor and the weaker sections.

The 25 year-old-actor will cover all three regions of the state during his 40-day non-stop tour.

His tour is expected to give a big boost to the TDP in the run-up to next month's simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and the state assembly. Naidu is going all out to use the NTR legacy to come back to power.

NTR's son and another popular actor, N Balakrishna, who joined the TDP last year, is already on a campaign trail.

NTR's another son, Harikrishna, who is the father of Junior NTR, and two other grandsons Kalyan Ram and Taraka Ratna have also been roped in by Naidu to campaign for the party.

The TDP hopes that the stars would counter the impact of superstar Chiranjeevi, whose Praja Rajyam party has emerged as the third major contender for power.