Telugu Desam using Janmabhoomi to woo voters for 2019 elections

VIJAYAWADA: Telugu Desam unofficially started an election campaign by making good use of Janma Bhoomi-Maa Vooru programme. The TD women leaders have been inviting the public, mainly women, to the Janma Bhoomi (JB) programme through ‘Bottu’ sentiment under which they have been putting vermillion on the forehead of women, inviting them to the JB meeting, and majority of the women have been honouring the Bottu sentiment and attending the JB meetings. 

The JB programme was begun on January 2 and would conclude on January 11. AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu released 10 White Papers about the TD Government’s success and non-cooperation of BJP led Union Government and ordered the officials concerned to conduct debates on the White Papers during JB meetings.

The TD pins hope on a ‘positive vote’ to win the election like in Telangana State. Hence, they have been vastly campaigning about the TD Government's development activities and welfare schemes and have been further trying to make them aware about the BJP's poor cooperation to attract the public towards TD in the JB meetings. 

CM Naidu started the attack on the BJP government on the first day itself, during the JB, explaining about pending NREGS funds to AP State since the past two years. The TD leaders are hoping that the government campaign for 10 days in the JB meetings would be helpful to the TD party in the elections.

CM Naidu, TD legislators and other leaders who are participating in the JB meetings are highlighting the development of TD and levelling allegations against the BJP, accusing the party of cheating Andhra people, without fulfilling the bifurcation promises. 

TD leaders have been analysing that the election would be announced in two or three months. Hence, the TD Government's development campaign in JB meetings would impress the public and would be useful to TD in the elections. 

Opposition parties are alleging that JB Village Committees, Sadhikara Mitras and Velugu Mitras have been visiting every house and inviting the public, mainly women, by putting Bottu on the forehead in a traditional manner and further, majority of the officials and employees turned similar to TD activists campaigning TD programmes. 

CPM State Executive Committee member Babu Rao alleged that the JB meetings have been turning into campaigns of TD Government. TD Ministers P. Pulla Rao and N. Ananda Babu said that 75 per cent people are satisfied with the development and welfare activities of the TD Government. They refuted the allegations of Opposition parties about using JB for TD campaigns and said that the State Government has been bringing up awareness about government programmes in the JB meetings and further, resolving public issues.