Praja Sankalpa Yatra Diary, Day 91: We Are Ready For All Sacrifices To Achieve Special Category Status
Kandukuru, Prakasam district: This morning, Bommala Chinnaiah of Badevari Palem came to me, fuming at the Telugu Desam government and how Chandrababu had cheated them. “Sir, this government has betrayed us. Our family subsists on the agricultural activity I undertake on a small piece of land. Due to scanty rainfall, my crop dried up and I decided to go in for a borewell. I went to the SC Corporation and got the borewell approved. That was two years ago. However, to this day the little patch of land I have, does not have a borewell. I went and asked officials at all levels and finally met the collector. My efforts went fruitless. I have been running around for two years and I am now completely vexed.
Also read: Chandrababu Is Running An Administration Of Commissions And Corruption: YS Jagan
Chinnaiah said—“I am furious, yet do not know who to vent my spleen on.” These are the words of this 65 -year-old farmer who was shaking with righteous anger. To make matters even worse, he told me that his chilli crop also got badly affected. How can a farmer survive if his crop withers? This convinced me of the need for free borewells to farmers which has always been my firm belief.
Durga Babu of Jaladanki mandal went through a similar ordeal. He had dreamt of setting up a mini dairy and sought the assistance of SC Corporation. He was told last year that his application had been cleared, he was selected for an interview and Rs.6 lakhs were to be given to him. The officials told him that this amount had been sanctioned. Later, following the selections he was told that the loan had been reduced to Rs.3 lakhs. He received the sanction letter of the collector but he and 32 others have been waiting for a year now hoping that the day would come when their dreams would be realised. Not one of them has been given the loan amount and yet interviews are being conducted for the current year! Those who have been sanctioned loans last year have not yet received any assistance and already loan applications for the next year are being processed! What kind of cheating is this? This was his question. He vented his fury saying that the Chandrababu Naidu government had established a Corporation for each community, whose functioning had been completely watered down and the so-called beneficiaries are being cheated thus! Is this fair? Is this just? These were his genuine queries.
In contrast, if people have a leader in power who is endowed with a vision, someone who empathises with their condition and relates to their problems, their lives get transformed. The solution given by my late father to solve the water supply problem of Kandukuru bears testimony to this fact.
This dry area plagued with fluoride related problems had been suffering from water scarcity for ages. My father, the late Dr YS Rajasekhar Reddy empathised with the plight of the masses who toiled and suffered in the scorching sun. The women belonging to Kandukuru had to walk long distances to get a potful of water. In such circumstances, as soon as my father came to power, he ensured that water was supplied to this place from the Krishna river to quench the thirst of the people of the people here at a cost of Rs.110 crores. The common masses belonging to this region remember my father’s contribution with great reverence and fondness today. My heart swelled with happiness on seeing this.
“We are prepared for any sacrifice to achieve Special Category Status,” I told a packed public gathering in Kandukuru and gave a clarion call to the entire state to come together on this issue. We should be prepared to fight for SCS for the sake of future generations, to ensure benefits such as industries and investments to AP. Our sacrifice will transform the lives of our children and for this cause, I am prepared to go to any lengths, meet anyone and join hands with anybody. We are prepared for a No-Confidence motion. Special Category Status is our lifeline, AP’s only hope.
I have a question for the chief minister—you have traded SCS for a Special Package, claiming that it has everything that SCS has to offer. You claimed that is the reason why you settled for it. The BJP echoed the same thoughts. Please recollect what Shri Venkaiah Naidu said in the Rajya Sabha and also your own words in PM Modi’s presence in Tirupati. How can you live with untruths? How can you deceive yourself? Isn’t this rank injustice?
