SEPT 18- The Telugu Desam Party chief N. Chandrababu Naidu indulges in commonplace acts with a flourish.
On Monday, he declared his family’s assets at a press conference held at his Jubilee Hills home and dared anyone to point out if anyone of the four, including himself, had anything more than what he has announced.
To top it, he announced anyone claiming and establishing that the family had more assets would be given a portion of it as a gift from him.
The timing of the declaration rather than its contents has raised curious eyebrows and fuelled speculation about the Naidu disclosure. The TDP chief is increasingly unsure as to whether his party will win convincingly, on either side of the divide, following the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.
While most observers rule out the return of the TDP in Telangana, some argue that his party will be in the reckoning in Seemandhra, as the region comprising the 13 coastal and Rayalaseema districts is called, along with YS Jaganmohan Reddy’s YSR Congress.
The ruling Congress is expected to receive a drubbing in Seemandhra and enjoy relatively better electoral prospects if it contests in alliance with the TRS in Telangana.
Uncertainty about the future has prompted Naidu to widen his political horizon rather than try to become chief minister of a state that is about half of what he presided over in the longest tenure ever by anyone in Andhra Pradesh, between 1995 and 2004.
However, the shrewd politician wants to keep his options open though he has often, in the past, denied that he is either interested in wielding power in Delhi or be in the race to be Prime Minister.
Naidu will keep lines open to join a BJP-led alliance and, at the same time, explore wielding power and influence steering a Third Front just in case the NDA fails to get the required numbers after the Lok Sabha polls.
Naidu firlmy believes that the declaration of assets enables him to target his main rival Jaganmohan Reddy relentlessly. The ongoing probe by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate into his assets and companies are still far from over, leave alone clearing the YSR Congress chief of the numerous charges. No sooner had Naidu began this declaration than his party took up the campaign against Jagan.
For the record, the Naidus assets are valued at Rs.41.70 crore. Last year it was Rs.35.90 and in 2011 he announced it was Rs.40 crore. Naidu’s personal assets are valued at Rs.42.06 lakh, up from Rs.31.97 lakh last year.
His wife N.Bhuvaneswari’s assets have also risen from Rs.24.57 crore to Rs.33.05 crore. His son N Lokesh is worth Rs.4.92 crore, down from Rs.6.62 crore last year and daughter-in-law N. Brahmani’s are up at Rs.3.30 crore from Rs.2.09 crore last year.
Much of it accrues from their stake in the family owned Heritage Foods Limited, which is into dairies and retailing of milk products as well as a wide range of groceries through its chain of stores. “Heritage has recorded an impressive performance and growth of 14.96 per cent because of 100 per cent transparency in its operations. The company is not making profits because of anybody’s favours.
Never has any politician complained about its functioning,” said Naidu, in an oblique reference to Jagan’s companies.
Naidu claims he has been declaring assets every year, for the past three years, as he was accountable to people. “All politicians should make their assets public to bring transparency in public life. It should be made mandatory by law to declare their assets and that of their family members,” emphazises Naidu.
INDIA TODAY
