Women empowerment would be possible only under a Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government, party chief N. Chandrababu Naidu said while interacting with women cadre at the party office here on Monday.
Mr. Naidu expressed concern that several welfare schemes implemented by the TDP regime were subsequently withdrawn after Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy became the Chief Minister.
“Mr. Jagan resorted to supplying spurious liquor in order to make money, which led to many women in the State becoming widows. Andhra Pradesh has become a hub for ganja and drugs, ruining the lives of our youth,” Mr. Naidu regretted.
“For every ₹100 that the State government is paying to the beneficiaries of various schemes, the government is looting ₹1,000 from them by hiking the prices of essential commodities,” the TDP chief added.
The TDP chief reiterated that he would always stand solidly by women and ensure that their income goes up. “It was TDP founder N.T. Rama Rao who had taken steps to ensure a share in ancestral property for women. It was the TDP which created reservations for women in local bodies, due to which women were able to become sarpanches, MPTCs, ZPTCs and MLAs,” Mr. Naidu asserted.
The TDP chief recalled the various welfare schemes launched by the TDP for women such as monthly pensions, the ‘Pasupu Kumkuma’ scheme, and the distribution of maternity kits, and asked them whether these schemes were still being implemented. He alleged that YSRCP leaders were looting the natural resources of Kuppam region, and said erring officials and YSRCP leaders would be made to face the law once the TDP-BJP-JSP alliance comes to power.
Mr. Naidu appealed to the women to convince their families that the future of their children would be secure only if the TDP comes to power. He promised to usher in a “poverty-free society” and said the Kuppam people should set an example for the rest of the State by ensuring a record victory for the TDP. “I urge you to ensure my victory by a margin of one lakh votes (over the YSRCP) in the coming elections,” Mr. Naidu said.
