The ruling YSR Congress Party leaders are using a novel technique to keep newly appointed Grama Volunteers in their tight grip for the next five years. These leaders are taking ‘prior resignation letters’ from Volunteers forcibly. They want to use these letters if any Volunteer turns against their party interests in future. The YCP leaders are doing this all over the state as they are afraid that after becoming government employees, these Volunteers may slip out of their control.

During the previous TDP rule, there is no such problem. There were Janmabhoomi Committees on which there were Mandal level officials in addition to local people’s representatives. Because of this, only the ruling TDP leaders’ influence worked at that time. Now, the YCP is also trying to retain a firm grip on rural administration and distribution of welfare sops through the Grama Volunteers. For this, the ruling party leaders are now forced to follow illegal and objectionable methods like getting advance resignation letters.

This has become a subject of debates within the government employees’ unions. They are asking where is the need for all these Grama Volunteers amid lot of publicity when they have no minimum job guarantee. Though these appointments are taken up through DSCs, there are rumours that almost all Grama Volunteers jobs are filled at the recommendations of local YCP leaders.