The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) will release a full-fledged election manifesto for the 2024 elections ahead of the Dasara festival in October, party chief N. Chandrababu Naidu announced on Monday, adding that the focus would be on wealth creation, welfare of the Backward Classes (BCs) and other marginalised sections.
“The next seven months will be crucial. Party leaders should work responsibly in order to defeat the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) in all 175 constituencies, particularly in Pulivendula and Kuppam with a majority of over one lakh votes,” Mr. Naidu said while addressing a party meeting at the TDP head office near Mangalagiri in Guntur district.
Mr. Naidu lashed out at Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, accusing him of hurling the State into financial ruin, and stating that the present situation was in sharp contrast to the TDP rule which was synonymous with development and welfare of the masses.
“Corruption is rampant and law and order is on the brink of collapse. Those questioning the government’s failures are being arrested, and the sand and liquor mafia are ruling the roost. Ganja cultivation and smuggling have become a major threat as the government has turned a blind eye,” Mr. Naidu said.
“The law and order situation in the State is so fragile that the son and wife of a Lok Sabha MP were abducted in Visakhapatnam, and a teenaged boy burnt alive in Bapatla district for objecting to the harassment of his sister,” Mr. Naidu said. Besides, corruption has become a hallmark of this government, he added.
Mr. Naidu said that the TDP would allot three LPG cylinders free of cost in a year to BPL families under the ‘Deepam’ scheme, provide financial assistance of ₹1,500 per month to poor women aged between 18 and 59, ₹15,000 for every student under ‘Talliki Vandanam’ scheme, free transportation to women on APSRTC buses, an allowance of ₹3,000 per month to unemployed youth, and ₹20,000 per annum to every farmer to help them meet the challenges posed by the agriculture sector.
He said the TDP would take steps to revive the power sector which was in dire straits due to the policies of the Jagan Mohan Reddy government. Further, Mr. Naidu lambasted the YSRCP government for imposing an ‘unbearable’ burden on the people in the form of various taxes including on garbage collection.
The State’s finances were in a shambles as the government went on a borrowing spree beyond the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRMB) limits, and only the TDP can achieve a turnaround, he asserted.
