Chandrababu Demands Action on Death of Pensioners

Kurnool: Telugu Desam chief N. Chandrababu Naidu has demanded that cases be filed against Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and Chief Secretary Dr K.S. Jawahar Reddy over the recent death of 33 pensioners caught in an EC-inspired system-change.

“The families of each pensioner who died due to the ‘fault’ of the state government should be given a compensation of `10 lakh while attempting to go out of their homes to take their pensions,” Naidu told the media in Gudur on Monday.

He questioned why pensions were not being distributed to beneficiaries at their doorstep at the start of April “despite the availability of enough staff members” to do this work.

“With approximately 1.26 lakh secretariat staff members, 15,000 panchayat secretaries, 5,000 each from the Velugu and agricultural departments, and 3,000 horticulture staff members available at the village level, pension distribution could be completed in a single day if their services were properly utilised,” Naidu averred.

Naidu claimed that “conspiracies orchestrated by the YSRC have resulted in the deaths of these pensioners.

Notably, the pension distribution at the doorsteps of pensioners in AP stopped abruptly at the start of this month as the Election Commission issued an order against use of village secretariat staff for this purpose till the elections are over. This followed a complaint it received from AP. Allegations are that the TD chief secretly inspired some entities to file the complaint.

However, on Monday, Naidu pointed an accusing finger at chief secretary Jawahar Reddy and other officials, including Dhanunjaya Reddy, Muralidhar Reddy and Sasibhushan, alleging that they were responsible for the delayed distribution of pensions “under orders from the Chief Minister.”

Naidu questioned the state government's recent claim of being unable to access bank account data of pensioners, especially when 75 per cent of the accounts were reportedly accessible for bank transfers now as per EC’s directions.

Addressing the public in Dhone, Chandrababu criticised finance minister Buggana Rajendranath for his absence at the Secretariat and Dhone, accusing him of constantly seeking loans for the state from New Delhi.

The TD chief promised a better Pay Revision Commission (PRC) for government employees. He alleged that locals in Dhone are taking to ganja due to the unaffordable cost of liquor. “Buggana must understand that governance entails avoiding debt and refraining from spreading funny narratives,” Naidu said.

During his address in Nandikotkur, Naidu criticised the political legacy of the Byreddy family, asserting that Siddharth Reddy was not an appropriate political successor, while Nandyal MP candidate Byreddy Shabari was the rightful heir.

He reiterated promises of service-related benefits for employees and teachers, including CPS and DA, once his party assumed power in the state.

The TD chief likened the Chief Minister to an untrained driver who has been driving the state in reverse direction, exacerbating the state's developmental setbacks over the past five years.

Further, despite receiving a notice from the Election Commission for alleged derogatory remarks against Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy, the TD chief continued to use harsh language against Jagan Mohan Reddy during his public speeches. He used terms such as "psycho," "traitor," "destructor," "exploiter," "cheat," "wicked" (dushtudu and durmargudu) against the CM.

TD’s LS candidate B. Shabari, assembly candidates Kotla Surya Prakash Reddy, G. Jayasurya, party leader M. Sivananda Reddy and others were present.