TDP leaders from 13 Districts resign collectively in protest

Christian missionaries promote religious conversion near major Hindu temples ! : Chandrababu Naidu

• Christians and Muslims protest if someone talks against their religion, but Hindus feel proud in presenting themselves as secularists.
• This proves that Christian and Muslim leaders are always ‘Christians’ and ‘Muslims’ first and then leaders of the party, Ministers or officers.
• It is a fact that though Christian missionaries are widely engaged in conversions near Hindu temples, Christian leaders are trying to protect the missionaries.

Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh) – Leaders of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) from 13 Districts of Andhra Pradesh collectively resigned from the party in protest of the party President Chandrababu Naidu’s remark about the Christian missionaries. Naidu said that Christian missionaries promote religious conversion near major temples in the State. The leaders who resigned criticised Naidu’s statement. Earlier Christian organisations staged agitations to demand Naidu’s apology.

Telugu Desam Party’s leader Phillip Tocher resigned with the comment that, “I am pained to inform you that I am resigning from the TDP’s active membership. The Christian community in the State is questioning my role in the TDP”.

Varaprasada Rao, a Dalit Christian rights leader from Vijaywada accused Naidu of making such statements to survive in politics.

John Benny Lingam, another Christian leader from Krishna District who supported TDP in the 2019 elections wrote to the Superintendent of Police that, “Naidu is using his men to break the Idols and transferring the crime on Christians”.