Extending thanks to the yellow army for carrying the TDP flag for the past several years, party general secretary Nara Lokesh, said on Monday that even the ruling YSRCP Members of Parliament (MPs) are avoiding meeting Chief Minister, Jagan Mohan Reddy.
“The ruling party MPs and MLAs are strongly believing that the time of Jagan is over,” Lokesh said addressing the massive public meeting at Narasannapet of Srikakulam district as part of the ‘Sankharavam’ programme for the second consecutive day on Monday. Observing that the huge public response clearly indicates that the people are ready to defeat the YSRCP in the coming elections, Lokesh said that when Jagan visited New Delhi recently of the 31 party MPs only six were present and this reflects the fact that they are ready to bid goodbye to Jagan.
Since the government employees too are unhappy as the promise made to them on the revocation of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) within a week of coming to power is not fulfilled yet, they are also ready to send Jagan home, he remarked. “Now Jagan has introduced a new scheme in which sitting MLAs are being shifted to other segments. How the leaders who are unfit for the segment that they are representing now will be fit for the other constituencies,” Lokesh asked and felt that by transferring the sitting MLAs Jagan had indirectly admitted his defeat.
Stating that Mr Jagan is responsible for the murder of his paternal uncle by his own cousin and MP, Avinash Reddy, the TDP national general secretary believed that Jagan too will have to go to jail in a couple of months. “Before the 2019 elections, Jagan has blamed the TDP supremo, Chandrababu Naidu, for the murder of his paternal uncle but in the chargesheet Avinash Reddy’s name is found. In a couple of days Jagan’s name will also be included in the chargesheet,” Lokesh remarked.
Pointing out that the liquor prices are very heavy in the State, Lokesh said that Jagan is simply squeezing the blood of the people and collecting large amounts of money from the public in the shape of ‘J’ tax. “Through the sale of liquor alone, Jagan has made Rs 45,000 cr in the past five years, at the rate of Rs 9,000 cr per annum,” he said. This apart, taxes are levied heavily on the common man in the form of power charges, RTC fares and fuel charges, Lokesh added.
It was the late NT Rama Rao, the founder of the TDP, who introduced welfare schemes for the people of Andhra Pradesh, he said and pointed out that NT Rama Rao, as the chief minister of the State ensured that the people were supplied rice at Rs 2 a kg. Chandrababu Naidu, who succeeded NT Rama Rao, not only continued these welfare schemes but also introduced several other programmes, he stated.
But this Government has discontinued all such schemes which are beneficial for the common man and on the other hand simply robs the people in the shape of huge taxes and high prices. “I have personally come to know the problems of the people through my Yuva Galam pada yatra,” Lokesh said and stated that after his pada yatra he has come to the conclusion that it is the TDP-Jana Sena combine that is going to form the coming government.
Assuring the people that 20 lakh jobs will be provided to the youth in the coming five years, Lokesh also asserted that all the schemes mentioned earlier will be implemented in letter and spirit. Lokesh said that the TDP will strongly oppose the move to privatise the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant and stated that if necessary the coming TDP-Jana Sena government will take over the plant.
Recalling how the TDP government had developed the North Andhra region, including Srikakulam district, Lokesh asked whether this Government had initiated a single measure for the progress of the region. Calling upon both the TDP and the Jana Sena activists to work unitedly for the victory of the combine in the upcoming polls, Lokesh announced that he will personally take the responsibility of the activists of both the parties to see to it that they will overcome any kind of trouble that they face.
