Minister for Labour and Employment and YSR Congress Party MLA from Alur in Kurnool district Gummanur Jayaram joined the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in the presence of its national president N. Chandrababu Naidu and Jana Sena Party (JSP) president Pawan Kalyan during the BC Declaration programme organised in Guntur on March 5 (Tuesday).
Addressing the BC leaders and cadres of both the TDP and JSP who gathered in large numbers from across the State, Mr. Jayaram lambasted Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy for not giving the SC, ST, BC and minority legislators the “freedom to act independently“ in the last five years.
In his address, TDP State president K. Atchannaidu alleged that the YSRCP government ruthlessly suppressed the BCs. Alleging that he had been falsely arrested on charges of corruption, Mr. Atchannaidu challenged the government to prove the charges.
Alleging that Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy was known for driving a wedge between castes and regions for his political gain, he said people of the State were eager to send the YSRCP and the Chief Minister packing in the ensuing elections.
NTR’s initiative
Former Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, who played a key role in the preparation of the BC Declaration, said that TDP founder and former Chief Minister N.T. Rama Rao was the first leader to reach out to the BCs and ensure their socio-economic-political empowerment. Mr. Naidu continued the spirit of NTR and provided political opportunities to the BCs, he added.
“The neo rich are emerging by looting public money, and there is a need to check the trend. In the last five years, the ruling YSRCP leaders have looted public money and natural resources. The BCs will dethrone the YSRCP from power,” Mr. Ramakrishnudu said.
In his speech, TDP national general secretary N. Lokesh said the party had constituted sub-caste-wise committees to address the problems of the BCs before preparing the declaration.
He said the TDP government had provided welfare schemes and educational opportunities for the BCs, besides extending financial assistance to the entrepreneurs among them. He accused Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy of doing injustice to the BCs by slashing the 10% reservation that existed for them in the local body elections. He also alleged that the YSRCP government had foisted false cases against more than 20,000 BCs in the last five years.
Referring to the gruesome murder of Amarnath Goud, a Class 9 student in Bapatla, allegedly by the YSRCP leaders, for resisting their attempts to harass his sister, Mr. Lokesh said that his mother Bhuvaneswari had taken upon the responsibility of taking care of the victim’s sister.
Lok Sabha member Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu said that Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy had cheated the BCs in the name of corporations. He said the government did not allocate funds for the corporations.
Removed from Cabinet
Within hours of joining the TDP, Mr Jayaram was removed from the State Cabinet.
The Chief Minister’s Office, in a communication, said that Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy requested Governor S. Abdul Nazeer to remove Mr. Jayaram from the Cabinet, and the same was accepted.
