TDP ex-MLA Panchakarla Ramesh Babu joins YSRCP

Amaravati: TDP Former MLA from north Andhra Panchakarla Ramesh Babu joined the YSRCP in the presence of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohaan Reddy here on Friday.

Speaking on the occasion, party national general secretary and MP V Vijayasai Reddy said that the party would utilise the services of Ramesh Babu who has a long innings in north Andhra as a seasoned leader. He said TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu was "anti-people and communal leader and that nobody can push back the government decision to establish executive capital in Visakhapatnam and nobody need to have any doubt in this regard.

The MP said it was only Jagan Mohan Reddy who was striving for the development of the SC, ST, BC and Minorities in the state. He said over the past 14 months, Rs 60,000 crore was spent for the welfare of these sections. He said Chandrababu Naidu had deceived these sections during 14-year rule of the state.

Ramesh Babu, who was elected to Assembly from Yalamanchali and Pendurthy earlier, said he was impressed by Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy's decentralisation of administration and plan to set up executive capital at Visakhapatnam. He said he was vexed with TDP leader Chandrababu Naidu's insistence of opposing Jagan Mohan Reddy who was striving for the all-round development of the state, especially the north Andhra districts by setting up the executive capital in Vizag.

The defected leader said Naidu has not conducted a post-mortem of why the TDP lost the elections so badly and was only bent on mud-slinging against the Chief Minister. He said even if an internal audit is conducted by the TDP on Lokesh's leadership, he would turn out to be a disaster.