TDP national general secretary N. Lokesh has said that in the ensuing general elections in Andhra Pradesh, the battle will be between Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s ‘ahankaram’ (arrogance) and people’s ‘aatma gauravam’ (self-respect).
Addressing the ‘Sankharavam’ public meeting at Madugula in the combined Visakhapatnam district on Tuesday, Mr. Lokesh took strong exception to Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy denigrating TDP national president and former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu by addressing him as ‘musalodu’ (old man).
Alleging that Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy was distancing education from students in government schools through G.O. No. 117, he claimed that 1,93,000 students had discontinued their studies between 2020 and 2023. At 16.3%, the dropout rate in the State was the highest in South India.
Alleging that the village and ward volunteers were spreading lies that the TDP would withdraw the welfare schemes introduced by the YSRCP government if it was voted to power, Mr. Lokesh said it was the TDP founder and former Chief Minister N.T. Rama Rao who had first introduced welfare schemes for the poor.
Referring to the ‘Super Six’ promises, he said that the TDP, if voted to power, would create 20 lakh jobs to the unemployed youth in the next five years, provide an allowance of ₹3,000, a month to the youth till they secure a job, give scholarship of ₹15,000 to each school-going child in a family up to a maximum of three children, provide three LPG cylinders in a year free of cost, extend a financial assistance of ₹90,000 (for 5 years) to eligible women in the 18–59 age group and free travel for women in APSRTC buses.
He called upon the party workers to take the promises of the TDP-JSP combine to every household in their cluster. Calendars and cards with the six promises would be given to the party workers for distribution among the people. He said that technology was being used by the party to identify the good work done by the workers and reward them with nominated posts.
Regretting that people had defeated the TDP in spite of its welfare schemes and good governance, Mr. Lokesh opined that as they realised their mistake, they would bring back the TDP-JSP combine to power.
Later, he addressed Sankharavam meetings at Narsipatnam and Payakaraopeta concluding his tour in North Andhra. The 10-day Sankharavam yatra covered 31 Assembly constituencies.
