Day 3 Of Praja Sankalpa Yatra Diary: Will Chandrababu Pick Up The Gauntlet?

November 8, 2017

Uruturu, YSR District: I began my tour from Nelatimmayapalli promptly at 9 am and walked for 16.2 km to reach Uruturu. As usual, the entire route was dotted with innumerable examples of the inept Government's abject apathy and insensitivity. All along the route, I saw many old and wrinkled faces of senior citizens desperately looking for hope and support. They blessed me with affection and fondly recalled my father's generosity. I saw tears welling up in the eyes of Haseena, a 70 year-old, when she told me that the pension that she used to get while my father was alive, had been stopped because they feel she was not old enough to get it. Come to think of it. She is 70 years old and the Government thinks she is not old enough for pension! Palagiri Rajamma is a widow. She says she had applied for a widow's pension for eight times. Every single time, her written pleas were consigned to the dustbin.

Swathi of Indukuru is an intermediate student. Her elder sister is pursuing her under graduation course. With fee reimbursement virtually non-existent, a big question mark hangs over their future. Their story is heart-wrenching to say the least. Along the way, I met farmer Krishna Reddy. He had sown groundnut. The yield was good. But, the price was too low. There was no support price for groundnut. So, the produce is stacked in his house. Similar stories of sorrow abounded. Today, BC leaders also met me. Sub-groups like Yadavs, fisher-folk, vadderas and others met me separately and recounted their problems.

Sarvaraya Sagar reservoir, which is part of the Galeru Nagari Project, is close by. The late YSR had completed 80 per cent of the work on the project by spending Rs 4900 crore. An estimated 85 per cent of the Sarvaraya Sagar work too was completed during his time. Had the remaining work been taken up in right earnest by the successor Government, nearly 25000 acres would have turned lush green and yielded a golden harvest. But, this government is not doing it. Yet, it continues to blow its own trumpet claiming that they have successfully irrigated the parched areas of Kadapa and Pulivendula.

My question to this Government is: What was the amount spent on irrigation projects in Kadapa and what was the extent of work completed during the YSR regime? What were the allocations after Chandrababu assumed power and how many projects have actually reached fruition? Can the Government come out with a detailed comparative analysis?

None can perhaps match Chandrababu Naidu in machinations and misinformation. His one-stop panacea for everything is -- blame Jagan, smear his reputation. In this ignoble endeavour, he is ably backed to the hilt by his stooges in the media. Come to think of it! How am I linked to Paradise Papers? I do not have money to be stashed in offshore banks. It is Chandrababu who has wads of currency with which he is buying MLAs and MPs who became people's representatives on my party's ticket. It is this money that came in handy when he bought votes in Nandyal bypoll for unheard of amounts ranging from Rs 6000 to Rs 10000. Wasn't this money used in our neighbouring state to buy an MLC. We know what a fiasco it had turned out to be for him. He was caught in the audio tapes and his men were caught mentioning him on video tapes. I firmly believe that the people are the final judges. Hence, I challenged Chandrababu Naidu at the public meeting in Veerapanayunipalle to prove his allegation within 15 days. I told him that If he can prove that I have offshore bank accounts, I shall permanently quit politics. Will Chandrababu Naidu resign from the CM's post if he cannot prove his false allegations? The ball is now in Chandrababu's court.