Telugu Desam Party president and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who has donned the Hindutva mask for the last few days and projecting himself as a Messaiah of Hindus, has received a big jolt from the Christian community.
On Saturday, former nominated MLA and senior TDP leader Phillip C Tocher announced his resignation from the party, stating that he was deeply pained at the remarks made by Naidu against Christian community.
“I have been an active member of the TDP for a long time. The sudden outburst by Chandrababu Naidu garu against Christians has put me to grave questioning by the Christian community of our state at large (sic),” Tocher said in his letter to TDP Andhra Pradesh unit president K Atchan Naidu.
Tocher, who was an Anglo-Indian nominated MLA from 2014 to 2019, said he was frustrated with the developments going on in the TDP in the recent past.
“There are many castes and religions in the country and everybody has his or her own faith. I have been associated with the Christian community,” he said.
He reminded that Naidu had sported cross and held Holy Bible when he was the chief minister.
“He even said he was blessed to hold the Holy Bible and praised Jesus Christ for preaching peace. Now, he is speaking completely against Christianity,” Tocher criticised.
The former MLA said he was not happy with the way Naidu was playing communal politics.
“Being in a responsible leader of opposition, he cannot speak against Christianity. I regret working with such a person for so many years,” he said.
Stating that any attack on any religion is condemnable, Tocher said it was not proper to abuse one religion to protect the interests of another religion.
“That is precisely why I am resigning from the TDP,” he said.