Vijayawada: The YSRC has expressed its anguish over the stopping of old and existing welfare schemes in the state during the election period, and the abrupt change of senior officials by the Election Commission under persuasion from the opposition parties.
YSRC MLA Malladi Vishnu, MLCs Lella Appi Reddy, Pothula Sunitha and others pointed out that the Election Commission gave permission for the disbursement of ongoing welfare schemes in Telangana state but stopped the same in Andhra Pradesh. This is objectionable, they said.
YSRC general secretary and MLC Lella Appi Reddy said, “The Election Commission is a very important institution in a democratic system. The Constitution empowers the EC to conduct fair and impartial elections. Unfortunately, the developments taking place in AP today raise doubts about the credibility of the Election Commission. EC is transferring officers if one party writes a letter, and it is stopping welfare schemes if another party writes a letter.”
Appi Reddy lamented that farmers' input subsidy was stopped and EC gave instructions to give it only after the elections. “The EC has given permission to Telangana to distribute input subsidy on May 4. Why are there such differences?”
He said if the EC takes a decision, it must be uniform for all the states. Permission was given to TS on the 4th of this month. In the same way, in AP, we sought permission but the EC said it would be given only after the election.”
Vishnu pointed out that the YSRC government did not bring any new scheme before the elections. There were no obstacles in the past for on-going projects or schemes. During the 2019 elections, the EC gave permission to the then TD government’s Pasupu-Kumkuma, a new scheme, for disbursal of `10,000 each to every woman. Now, old schemes were stopped.
He said that every year on March 1 and 6, chief minister Jagan Reddy would release input subsidies for farmers and also the education-linked Vidya Deevena. The state government has explained to the EC the need to implement the on-going schemes as per the calendar.
“It seems that even the EC was pressured by the BJP and its allies TD and JS to stop the welfare schemes,” Vishnu said.
He said Chandrababu has been in the habit of obstructing programmes that benefit the people. “Input subsidy is necessary for farmers, Vidya Deevena is necessary for students and we should be told why schemes that are helpful to poor people, farmers, like the EBC Nestam and Asara, are being stopped.”
He alleged that the invisible force that worked from behind to stop these, was the alliance of the BJP, TD and Jana Sena.
State president of the YSRC women's wing and MLC Potula Sunitha, YSRC legal cell state president Manohar Reddy, the party’s grievance cell state president A Narayanamurthy and other leaders objected to the denial of permission by EC for the old welfare schemes. They urged the EC officials not to trouble the poor and needy with decisions like these.
