The Telugu Desam president, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, said on Monday that superstar Chiranjeevi’s political entry would pose no threat to his party. The TD chief said people were with the TD and it would emerge victorious in 2009 polls. Also, there was no political vacuum in the state to enable new political outfits to flourish, he said.

Mr Naidu was addressing the media at the party headquarters after completing his 117-day Mee Kosam Yatra. He dismissed fears about Chiranjeevi’s entry affecting the TD’s fortunes and said that his party had strong foundation in the hearts of the Telugu people. “Nobody can affect the TD,” he said. “Ours is the party which fought for Telugu’s pride. As long as people are with us, nobody can ruin our prospects.”

He added that none of the new parties will affect the TD. “The parties may be new, but people are the same,” he quipped. Mr Naidu said the TD was intact and was becoming stronger at the grassroots level. Party workers were eagerly waiting for the elections so as to dislodge the “corrupt regime of the Congress”. Mr Naidu refuted Chiranjeevi’s claim that the current crop of political parties were not working to fulfil the aspirations of the common man. “We have been working in accordance with the people’s aspirations,” he said. Though film star Balakrishna was ready to take up a campaign in support of the Telugu Desam, it might take some more time to work out, added Mr Naidu.