Foundation Stones Before Polls, Chandrababu’s Approach To Irrigation Projects  

U. Venkammapeta, Srikakulam district: Thousands of people accompanied me on my Padayatra today. They showered me with love and affection every step of the way—many members from tribal communities, men and women, walked alongside me. They welcomed me with their traditional dance, “dhimsa.” Their genuine love filled me with joy. Hundreds of women who offered puja on account of Monday of Kartika month, also came and met me. Chandrababu Naidu’s doublespeak was evident again. As always, he would say one thing before the elections and another later, one statement for Telangana and another for Andhra Pradesh.

This is his usual duplicity at play. Teacher associations have been pressing for scrapping of CPS. In the Telangana assembly, a legislator of Chandrababu‘s party asks why CPS is not being scrapped. In Andhra Pradesh, he skirts the issue and says that it is beyond the purview of the state government. In his manifesto for Telangana, Chandrababu says that CPS would be scrapped as soon as the party comes to power. In Andhra Pradesh, where Chandrababu is in office, even when there have been widespread protests for scrapping of CPS, he has not budged. Is this not deception, they ask?

People pointed out that water had not been reaching villages from the left canal of Thotapalli, because modernisation work had not been completed. Farmers, who met me near Nadukuru, pointed out that the chief minister laid the foundation stone and washed his hands off the matter and no progress was seen on the project after that. This is characteristic of Chandrababu Naidu‘s style of functioning—laying foundation stones before polls and forgetting about the projects later. If the money spent on laying foundation stones, opening ceremonies and publicity by Chandrababu could be diverted to completing work related to minor distributaries and projects, they would have been completed.

Prasanna, a girl student preparing for her DSC, showed albums with clippings of news items and photographs from the time that my Padayatra began. She completed 12 such albums to mark my Padayatra in 12 districts. Ankita, a tribal girl, created a beautiful wooden fan, the party symbol, on which she pasted my father’s image along with mine. She gifted this to me. I was deeply touched by their display of affection.

As soon as I reached Veeraghattam, I was reminded of the great Indian body builder and wrestler, Kodi Ramamurthy. This is also a renowned place for vegetables and they are sent to other states from here. “Your father included us among BC communities, gave us subsidies and kerosene motors and treated as with a lot of respect,” these green vegetable growers said. They expressed their gratitude to him. I camped for the night at Mariyagiri, revered by Christians and Hindus alike. Significantly, my sister, Sharmila, also camped here, during the course of her Padayatra.

I have a question for the chief minister—be it Thotapalli, Handri-Neeva or Godavari-Penna River linking project, each one of these is taken up before elections only to deceive people. Is this not true? Is it not a fact that there are more foundation stones laid by you, compared to projects completed? Is it not for mobilisation advances to your proxies and for kickbacks that irrigation projects are hurriedly being announced before elections, after four and a half years of neglect?

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