The visit of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy to Kuppam, the home turf of TDP national president N. Chandrababu Naidu, slated for September 22 assumes political significant. The activists of the TDP and the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) clashed in Kuppam last month.
Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy is set to visit Kuppam for the first time in his capacity as the Chief Minister and the ruling party cadres are in an upbeat mood. He is scheduled to lay foundation stones for various developmental works of estimated ₹66 crore in the limits of the newly-formed Kuppam municipality.
The Chief Minister’s visit to the tri-State junction is viewed as a ‘meticulously planned strategy’ to give strength to the repeated challenges posed by the YSRCP leaders, including the district strongman and Minister for Forests and Energy P. Ramachandra Reddy that the victory of Mr. Naidu in 2024 elections would be ‘next to impossible’.
Mr. Ramachandra Reddy has reiterated that the Handri-Neeva Kuppam branch canal would be completed before the 2024 Assembly elections.
Political experts are of the opinions that the YSRCP appears to have been successful in its ‘anti-Naidu’ campaign. The ruling party claims credit saying that it was Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy who had upgraded the Kuppam panchayat into a municipality, besides making Kuppam a revenue division.
The proposed mandal complex project, which aims at bringing various administrative setups under one umbrella in the constituency, has won the appreciation of the people of the agrarian belt, the ruling party cadres say.
“The YSRCP government’s Kalyanamasthu scheme will send Mr. Naidu packing in Kuppam as a majority of the population here belongs to the Backward Classes, minorities, and SC/ST categories,” says a YSRCP senior leader.
However, the TDP cadres describes the proposed visit of the Chief Minister as a ‘damage control’ exercise. The party cadres maintain that it is a planned move by the ruling party to ‘hoodwink the people and tide over the growing resentment against the government including the internal bickering in the YSRCP camp.’
“The image of the YSRCP has taken a beating in Kuppam after Mr. Naidu exposed the mining mafia and discrimination in development works undertaken in the constituency,” say TDP leaders.
The TDP camp believes that the violence during Naidu’s recent Kuppam visit have eroded the confidence of local people in the government.
Ban on plastic banners
Meanwhile, the ban imposed the use of plastic flexi banners has emerged as an issue. Even as the YSRCP cadres are mulling over alternatives, the TDP cadres are said to be looking for opportunity to counter the government in case of some violations.
Meanwhile, the Chittoor police are making elaborate arrangements for the Chief Minister’s visit.
