Both Are Not Same: Jagan’s Sharp Counter to Nara Lokesh

AP Former CM and YSR Congress Party chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy launched a sharp attack on CM Chandrababu Naidu and Minister Nara Lokesh, strongly countering Lokesh’s repeated slogan, Yes Lokesh… "Both Are Not Same.”

Addressing the media, Jagan said there was a vast difference between the governance of the YSRCP government and the present coalition administration. He questioned how Chandrababu, while allegedly running what he described as a “disastrous administration,” was simultaneously making his son deliver dramatic political punchlines at public meetings.

“Mr. Lokesh… Yes, both can never be the same,” Jagan remarked. “Backstabbing allies and grabbing control of a party and its symbol is your history. Earning people’s support through political struggle and coming to power democratically is our history. Both can never be the same.”

In a strongly worded criticism, Jagan accused the TDP leadership of betraying public trust and surviving on political deception. “Cheating people after making promises is your character. Standing by commitments made to the people, no matter the circumstances, is our character,” he said.

He further alleged that while the YSRCP focused on welfare and governance delivery, the present government was dependent on publicity and “credit-stealing politics.”

Highlighting his government’s welfare initiatives, Jagan said the YSRCP administration had implemented transformative programmes in education, healthcare, agriculture, women’s empowerment, housing and governance at the doorstep. He specifically referred to the “Disha” initiative for women’s safety, claiming such reforms were now being systematically weakened under the current regime.

Contrasting the two governments, Jagan stated that the YSRCP had directly transferred Rs 2.73 lakh crore to eligible beneficiaries through DBT schemes over five years in a transparent manner. In comparison, he alleged that the coalition government had accumulated massive debts within two years while failing to fulfil promises such as “Super Six” and “Super Seven.”

“Babu means betrayal, Jagan means trust. Both can never be the same,” he asserted.

Jagan also took aim at Chandrababu Naidu’s recent remarks encouraging families to have more children, in the name of population growth and wealth creation. In a sarcastic counter, he questioned why Chandrababu himself had only one son and why Lokesh too stopped with one child.

“You are asking people to have three or four children while your own family did not follow what you are preaching. Shouldn’t your son at least practise what you are publicly advocating?” he asked.

The former Chief Minister further accused the Naidu government of neglecting core sectors such as education, healthcare and agriculture after coming to power. He alleged that the government lacked funds for medical colleges and school infrastructure upgrades under the Nadu-Nedu programme, but was willing to spend Rs 2,540 crore on glass facades for buildings in Amaravati.

Jagan questioned whether ordinary families were financially capable of raising three or four children amid rising living costs. “Can families today even afford proper food, quality education and healthcare for so many children?” he asked.

He also criticised Chandrababu’s remarks from a gender perspective, accusing him of reducing women to “child-bearing machines.” Jagan said it was inappropriate for a Chief Minister to make such comments and stressed that the wellbeing of women was central to the wellbeing of families and society.