Naidu may go for new team of volunteers if elected to power

Vijayawada: Telugu Desam chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu may have a new team of village/ward volunteers if the TD-led alliance is elected to power in the state.

Naidu recently announced at a public meeting that he would double the present honorarium of the volunteers to `10,000 per month. He also promised to help those among them having higher academic qualifications to build their career by providing skill development and better employment opportunities.

In this backdrop, there is speculation that Naidu may have his own set of volunteers by including, among others, those from the previous Janmabhoomi Committees.

However, Telugu Desam leaders maintain that it would continue the existing system of village/ward volunteers to deliver the welfare schemes at the doorstep of the people – a system fashioned by Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.

Telugu Desam national spokesperson K. Pattabhi Ram said, “We will keep the volunteers who are neutral and replace those who are loyal to the YSRC.”

The TD-JS-BJP alliance is listing those volunteers who are loyal to the YSRC in order to pack them off, it is suspected.

On the other hand, the village/ward volunteers who deposited their official mobile phones and tablets to the authorities at the time of announcement of the poll schedule on March 16, are involving themselves in no work while some of them tendered their resignations.

Some volunteers got their honorarium for March in the first week of April while others are waiting for their turn. They are visiting the village/ward secretariats concerned to register their biometric attendance on a regular basis.

A ward volunteer said, “People used to call us when they wanted to avail any service from the government. Like any government servant, we have to serve the government of the day.”

Another ward volunteer said, “It will be good if each volunteer is entrusted with the task of nearly 150 households from the present 80 to 100, with enhanced honorarium and an opportunity for career growth.”

YSRC general secretary and government adviser Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy slammed the TD chief Chandrababu Naidu for being critical of the volunteers earlier and is now trying to woo them. He said, “If Naidu gets an opportunity, he would replace volunteers with Janmabhoomi Committee members.”

He turned down the criticism that volunteers would be used by the YSRC to influence the voters.

AP has a strong team of 2.6 lakh village/ward volunteers at 14,994 village/ward volunteers.