Naidu Takes a Jibe at Modi, Says PM Frustrated as He Has Sensed Defeat

Hyderabad: Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for repeatedly violating the Model Code of Conduct and practising dirty politics against opposition leaders.

He also slammed Modi for his remark that there was no clarity or consensus among opposition parties regarding the prime ministerial face.

“We, the (non-BJP) alliance partners, will sit together after the election and decide on the next Prime Minister,” Naidu said, adding Modi’s rhetoric against his rivals was only to gain political mileage.

He said the PM was extremely frustrated as he could foresee a drubbing for the BJP and its partners ahead of May 23 when the result of the general election would be out.

“Modi seems to have sensed his defeat and hence, frustrated. When he talks of change, he means the number of dresses he changes in a day,” the TDP leader said.

He also wondered if there was a separate rule for the Prime Minister and the chief ministers of the country. His comments were in response to the EC giving a clean chit to some alleged controversial remarks of the PM made during campaigning.

Naidu, who has for long been at loggerheads with the Election Commission over malfunctioning of electronic voting machines (EVMs), cited an example of a similar case in Uttar Pradesh, wherein a vote cast for the Samajwadi Party was allegedly going to the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP). He said same was the case in West Bengal, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

He said it was due to the opposition’s prolonged battle with the EC over EVMs that the latter was compelled to introduce VVPATs in polling. However, the poll body still failed to ensure free and fair polls in many states, including Andhra Pradesh.

Regarding his state’s preparedness in the wake of Cyclone Fani that is likely to hit the state soon, Naidu told reporters that he had instructed officials to take steps in preventing loss of lives.

The Centre too has kept its officials and different departments on alert.

Naidu also sought to know whether the Prime Minister was an extra-constitutional authority and had the power to hold review meetings at a time when chief ministers of states likely to be affected by the cyclone were being barred from doing so.