TDP sets trend for online political conclaves

Naveen S Garewal
Tribune News Service
Hyderabad, May 27

COVID-19 has forced politicians and political parties to discover new ways to stay relevant.

After being threatened to be quarantined and punished for lockdown violation, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu left nothing to chance and launched his two-day annual party meeting “Mahanadu” from Mangalagiri over videoconference.

Over 14,000 party cadres are participating in the meeting through video conferencing.

The “Mahanadu” is organised each year to coincide with the birth anniversary of the party’s founder-president NT Rama Rao on May 28 every year.

Last year the party kept a low profile and did not organise the annual conference as it suffered a debacle in the general elections winning just 23 seats in the 175-seat Andhra Pradesh Assembly.

The TDP has targeted Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy for what most participants in the conference termed as “misrule” during the last one year.

He alleged that democracy is in danger in the state due to rule of anarchy. He called upon the TDP cadres in both the Telugu states to strengthen the party organisation and continue the struggle for the party’s ideals. Naidu claimed that the TDP’s struggle in Andhra Pradesh is to save democracy.

The TDP has adhered to social distancing norms and its tech-savvy Chandrababu Naidu decided to use Zoom, a video conferencing app, to address the participants in both Telugu states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, besides workers settled abroad.

Arrangements have been made on a big screen to telecast live so that another 10,000 people can watch the show. This is the first major move by the TDP to hold a conclave this big after a debacle in the 2019 polls.

Naidu, the party’s Andhra Pradesh unit president Kala Venkat Rao, some politburo members and key leaders were present at the TDP headquarters in Mangalagiri while all other leaders and workers were taking part in the deliberations from their houses through Zoom.

Naidu told the viewers, “Many laid down their lives while others were implicated in false cases. They suffered physically, mentally and financially. Their sacrifices will not go in vain,” he said.

Pointing out that TDP was in power for 22 years and in opposition for 16 years, Naidu said whether in power or in opposition, it always worked for the people.