TDP hits out at Congress over Central rule in Andhra Pradesh

 Telugu Desam Party today launched a stinging attack on Congress over imposition of President's rule in Andhra Pradesh, saying it showed "bankrupt politics" of the ruling party as the move was against all norms.

"President's rule is nothing but a mockery of democracy. It is highly regrettable that President's rule has been clamped in the state by weakening the Constitution, the institutions of Governor and state Legislature," TDP President N Chandrababu Naidu said.

"The Congress desperately bargained with Telangana Rashtra Samiti and YSR Congress to install a Government in the state after N Kiran Kumar Reddy resigned from the Chief Minister's post on February 19.

"But, majority of Congress legislators found fault with the move and threatened to oppose such a Government, forcing the party to go for President's rule," the Opposition leader alleged in a statement here.

The Congress thus fell in its own grave, he said, adding the Central rule in the State held mirror to the gross "bankrupt politics" of the UPA lead party.

A state is generally put under Article 356 if there was a failure of law and order or if the incumbent Government failed to discharge constitutional duties. "Has President's rule been imposed in AP now because the Congress created a wedge and caused hatred among Telugu people?," he wondered.

"Congress had always failed to ensure stable governance for full five years whenever people voted it to power. We have seen self-pride of Telugu people mortgaged in New Delhi between 1978 and 1983 and later between 1989 and 1994. The same has been repeated since 2009 when Congress retained power in the state," the TDP chief maintained.

"Chief Ministers were changed at will and people were subjected to Tuglaq's rule.

Corruption had been the hallmark of Congress rule and the Government could never drive the state on the right path of progress," the ex-CM lamented.

He asked Telugu people to safeguard democracy by teaching a fitting lesson to parties that have been "destroying" democratic systems.