YSR is a copy cat, says Naidu

Why did Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu announce his Cash Transfer Scheme only a few days before polling?

Naidu said he had to keep the scheme under wraps till last moment, because he feared Chief Minister Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy would copy it and announce it well in advance, had it been leaked earlier. “YSR copied the Rs 2 a kg rice scheme in the same manner,” he alleged.

According to the TDP sources, Naidu had planned Rs 2 a kg rice scheme well in advance and was about to be discussed at the TDP politburo meeting. But a few hours before, it was leaked to YSR, allegedly by Naidu’s erstwhile personal secretary Vijayakumar (who later shifted loyalties to YSR and is now in SV Bhakti channel). Without wasting time, YSR announced the scheme without even discussing it with the officials of the finance and civil supplies department.

Though Naidu’s driver Ravi complained to Naidu that the information was leaked by Vijayakumar, he did not believe it; instead, he sacked Ravi. A few days later, Ravi was found dead in his room, while Vijayakumar shifted loyalties to YSR.