Telugu Desam Party chief N Chandrababu Naidu dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a debate on the achievements of Modi’s rule over the last four and a half years. Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu also questioned Modi whether the country benefitted from his rule. Chandrababu told reporters that Modi should spell out what was the growth rate achieved by the country under his rule and what the country gained from steps like demonetisation and Goods and Services Tax (GST).
The TDP chief was reacting to remarks made by Modi in an interview that Grand Alliance had failed and that Naidu was venting his ire over his crushing defeat in recent Assembly elections in Telangana. Chandrababu alleged that the country’s economy collapsed due to the steps taken by Modi. He said the Prime Minister created fear among people and misused the institutions to target his political rivals.
He said that the economic and administrative policies of the Centre caused immense damage to the country. He did not agree that the Grand Alliance had failed and remarked that instead, the NDA government and Modi had failed. Chandrababu asked why Modi was happy over the victory of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in Telangana. He said the PM, BJP president Amit Shah, 13 central ministers and three chief ministers campaigned for BJP in Telangana but it got only one seat.