A few leaders, who included former MLAs, joined the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) in the presence of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy during the ‘Memantha Siddham’ bus yatra at Gantavaripalem in Palnadu district on Wednesday.
JSP leader and former MLA from P. Gannavaram Pamula Rajeswari Devi, TDP leader and former MLA from Rayachoti R. Ramesh Kumar Reddy, and JSP leader Pothina Mahesh joined the ruling party.
Later, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy started his bus yatra from Gantavaripalem. A huge crowd greeted him at Santamagulur junction. Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy interacted with the villagers at Vellalacheruvu before moving on to Rompicherla and Santagudipadu.
Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy thanked people for coming out to support him. “Are you Siddham (ready) for a war against the evil, conspiracies and deceit? This is not just an election to choose MLAs and MPs. It is an election that decides whether the assurances given to the farmers, empowerment of women, and education of children will continue or be engulfed in darkness,” he said.
“Your future is in your hands. So make an informed decision,” he added.
Criticising TDP national president N. Chandrababu Naidu, he said, “Do you know how lies are being propagated by certain media houses? They are joining hands with Mr. Naidu. They are collectively trying to portray a donkey as a horse. This is the politics of conspiracy and lies.”
“They claim that if you vote for Mr. Naidu, you will get a job. Can Mr. Naidu explain how many were given government job during his entire tenure?” he asked.
Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy said that the YSRCP government had given jobs to 1,30,000 people in the village and ward secretariats. “If you visit a government hospital, you will notice how we have filled 54,000 posts in the health sector,” he added.
In all, 2,31,000 people got jobs in the last five years as against only 32,000 during the term of Mr. Naidu, he said.
“In this scenario, do you want the ‘fan’ (symbol of YSRCP) or the rusty ‘bicycle’ (symbol of TDP) to win?” he asked.
