Jagan says TD ready for extinction in AP

Vijayawada: Launching a tirade against the Telugu Desam president on Monday, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy said Chandrababu Naidu had cheated the people on all fronts and was now coming up with a mix of welfare schemes by copying the Karnataka Congress manifesto.

“Naidu wants to prepare ‘Bisi Bele Bath’ and he’s owning up their schemes with different names to prepare khichdi and pulihora,” the Chief Minister said, adding that the TD is “ready for its closure” in AP.

Addressing a public meeting at Kosuru in Palnadu district, the CM slammed the TD chief, saying he nurtured a capitalistic attitude and was working against the poor. “I may not be having the support of a section of the media, Naidu’s adopted son (Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan) and the BJP in the coming polls, but I have trust in God. This and your blessings are my strengths.”

“Do not trust Naidu and the vicious campaign being undertaken by the Telugu Desam against our government. Look at the good works we did for you and judge us on that basis. Stand by me as a soldier in the upcoming Kurukshetra (polls). It will be a war between Naidu’s DPT (Dochuko-Panchuko-Thinuko) and our government’s DBT,” he said.

The CM said, “We have distributed welfare benefits worth '2.16 lakh crore directly to the beneficiaries under several welfare schemes. This is going to be a war between Naidu’s social injustice and our government’s social justice. It will be a war between his scams and our welfare schemes.”

“I believe good works will ultimately prevail. I want to see a doctor, a scientist, an engineer, a CEO of a software firm and so on to come up from every poor family in the state. I want to pray to God to give me some more time to fulfil my wish for your welfare,” he said.

In what looked like a strong rebuff to BJP leaders like J.P. Nadda and Amit Shah, who accused the YSRC government of corruption, the Chief Minister maintained that this was not the case. “Within six months after assuming power, we overhauled the entire administrative machinery to ensure there is no corruption and discrimination in distributing the benefits of welfare schemes, be it social security pension, supply of essentials through PDS or a host of benefits to the women, farmers, students and several other social groups,” he said.

Jagan Mohan Reddy said his government had set up village/ward secretariats and appointed volunteers, set up RBKs, launched family doctor concept, took up Nadu-Nadu programme, issued house site pattas, constructed houses, launched Disha app and extended a host of welfare schemes with the sole aim of helping the poor.

The CM wondered as to why Naidu, during his repeated terms as Chief Minister for 14 years, failed to come up with any of the welfare schemes the present government took up. Rather, Naidu duped farmers, women, youth and the people belonging to the SCs, STs, BCs and Minorities and the poor. “He is a fraudster and a liar.”

Jagan Mohan Reddy asked Naidu as to why he wanted to come up with declarations for Rayalaseema, BCs, SCs and STs, minorities, women and offer free domestic gas now, when he failed to do so while he was CM. He cautioned the people that Naidu might even announce freebies like a kg of gold and a Benz car to each house in a bid to woo the voters and then ditch them after the polls. “He’s a backstabber,” the CM said of Naidu.

Following an appeal from Pedakurapadu MLA Sankara Rao, the CM announced several sops like sanction of '45 crore for the lift irrigation scheme in Talla Cheruvu and agreed to announce a relief to 128 project displaced families of Pulichintala project.

Earlier, the CM set the stone for construction of a high-level bridge at Madinapaudu at a cost of Rs 60 crore and inaugurated a government polytechnic college.