The people of Andhra Pradesh have to choose between a government that is known for being reliable and truthful, and a party that is known for its betrayal, YSRCP president and Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy told a large gathering at Puthalapattu Bypass near here on Wednesday.
“The 2024 elections are not going to be a mere fight between Jagan Mohan Reddy and Chandrababu Naidu, but a battle between truth and lies, and between righteousness and wickedness,” Mr. Jagan said.
Addressing the YSR Congress Party’s ‘Memantha Siddham’ public meeting at the Puthalapattu Bypass junction on Wednesday, Mr. Jagan accused TDP national president N. Chandrababu Naidu of conspiring with former IAS officer Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar to derail the volunteer system in the State, throwing lakhs of elderly pensioners, physically challenged and widowed beneficiaries in jeopardy.
“I appeal to you (beneficiaries of the Direct Benefit Transfer schemes and social pensions) to be my star campaigners and reach out to every household with a message. If Mr. Naidu comes to power, there would be no volunteers, no pensions, and no DBT schemes,” Mr. Jagan said.
“Though Mr. Naidu became Chief Minister thrice and ruled the State for over 14 years, the only ‘return gift’ he gave to the people of the State was betrayal and backwardness,” the YSRCP president said. Terming the TDP chief a “habitual offender”, Mr. Jagan asked voters to be wary of Mr. Naidu who was “once again approaching them seeking their votes by making promises he wouldn’t keep.”
“Mr. Naidu’s coterie includes the BJP, which failed to give Special Category Status to Andhra Pradesh, the Congress Party, which unfairly carved Andhra Pradesh into two, some biased media houses, and his ‘datta putrudu’ (adoptive son, referring to Pawan Kalyan),” Mr. Jagan said.
Mr. Jagan asked the people to help him achieve his target of a ‘double century’, by voting for a YSRCP victory in 175 Assembly seats and 25 Lok Sabha seats.
Lists his ‘achievements’
The Chief Minister spoke at length about the DBT schemes implemented by his government to the tune of ₹2.7 lakh crore in the last five years. He said developmental works such as village secretariats, Rythu Bharosa Kendras, village clinics, modernised government schools with English-medium education, ‘family doctor’ concept, Aarogya Suraksha, distribution of 31 lakh house sites to women, a Mahila Police system and the launch of the Disha App were a testimony to his administration.
Later, he introduced the party’s MLA candidates of the undivided Chittoor district to the gathering.
