Naming, merger of new districts put ruling party MLAs in a fix

KAKINADA: Ruling party MLAs are in a piquant situation. During the Sankranthi festival, each of them got unofficial permission to organise cockfights and police looked the other way. Every legislator had to get permission. Otherwise, s/he would be considered worthless.

YSRC MLAs are now finding themselves in a similar situation over formation of new districts. There are numerous demands in each assembly constituency when it comes to naming of district headquarters and merging or not merging some mandals with new districts. If the legislators cannot achieve these demands, MLAs perceive that they may be treated as worthless.

Legislators are thus on tenterhooks as Ugadi – Telugu New Year Day is approaching. They are expected to prevail on state government when it comes to meeting their constituents’ demands.

Take, for example, Tallarevu mandal of Mummidivaram assembly constituency. It is going to come under the proposed Konaseema district. Kajuluru mandal of Ramachandrapuram constituency will also be in Konaseema district. But people of Tallarevu and Kajuluru mandals have demanded that the government merge their mandals with Kakinada district. Mummidivaram MLA Ponnada Satish Kumar has also supported merger of Tallarevu mandal with new Kakinada district, instead of Amalapuram (Konaseema district).

“If Tallarevu mandal is not merged with Kakinada district, people will consider the MLA ‘inefficient’ in achieving their demand. So, the legislator should take the matter to notice of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and achieve the demand,” observed RTI activist P.V. Bhadra Rao. If Tallarevu mandal is merged with Kakinada, rich mangroves and Hope Island will belong to Kakinada district.

Already former minister and YSRC leader Kothapalli Subba Rayudu slapped himself with his chappal, claiming Narsapuram MLA M. Prasada Raju is an inefficient MLA, as he could not convince the CM to let Narasapuram remain as district headquarter instead of Bhimavaram.

People of Gokavaram in Jaggampeta constituency are agitating for merger of their area with the new Rajamahendravaram district, instead of Kakinada district, as it is just at a distance of 25 kilometres from Rajamahendravaram but 75 km from Kakinada. Ruling party MLA of Jaggampeta Jyothula Chantibabu and former MLA Jyothula Nehru have also demanded that the government merge Gokavaram mandal into Rajamahendravaram.

“Since Independence, Gokavaram has been under Rajamahendravaram division. Unless the present Jaggampeta MLA achieves our demand, he will become an inefficient leader as far as people are concerned,” observed Matta Manga Raju, Kakinada BJP district general secretary.

People of Rampachodavaram and Chinturu divisions are fighting for a separate district. Public of Alamuru mandal in Mandapeta constituency want their merger with Rajamahendravaram district.