Chandrababu Naidu walks the talk

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Hyderabad: Telugu Desam chief N. Chandrababu Naidu who turned 64 a few days ago, is going to conclude his 208-day, 2,817 km ‘Meekosam padayatra’ (walkathon for the people) in Visakhapatnam on Friday. It is the longest such padayatra by a politician in the state.
In his meetings during the padayatra Naidu has been promising the moon to the people if he is returned to power in the 2014 Assembly polls.
The aim of the padayatra was to boost to confidence of the Telugu Desam cadres who are demoralised by the party’s losses in all the byelections held since 2009, and the desertion of party MLAs.
Naidu is hoping the padayatra will galvanise the party ahead of the local body polls and general election in 2014. He began his padayatra from the southernmost part of the state, Hindupur in Anantapur district on October 2, 2012 and will end it at Visakhapatnam on the north coast on April 27, 2013. The Telugu Desam, which has been in Opposition for the last nine years, has suffered on account of the TRS in the Telangana region, and the YSR Congress in the Seemandhra region.
Party cadres at all levels and all districts have been involved in organising the padayatra in their regions and have tried to create confidence among people to vote the party back to power. However, disloyal MLAs have not stopped quitting the party throughout the padayatra. Ten MLAs have left to join other parties.
Naidu has promised to do several things for several people after he returns to power. If all of the promises he made are to be kept, thousands of crores of rupees will be needed. Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, who has started referring to Naidu as his ‘walking friend’ at every public meeting, said that the entire Budget of the central government would not be sufficient to implement the promises.
Naidu has also been criticised, mainly by Congressmen, for not attending Assembly sessions, where people’s problems should be addressed. He was not present when the sensitive SC/ST Sub Plan legislation was passed.
With several issues confronting the party awaiting his attention, the post-padayatra period will be crucial for Naidu to show good results in the ensuing local body polls, as a run-up to the general election which is a year away.
The padayatra has helped his son Lokesh consolidate his position in the party, as he co-ordinated party affairs to some extent and has found some acceptability as the youthful face of the party.
While Naidu has been busy criticising other parties, it remains to be seen if he can sell himself and his party as a credible alternative.