BC MPs of YSRC dare Naidu to join debate on backward classes' development
HYDERABAD: YSRC MPs Mopidevi Venkataramana, Beeda Mastan Rao and others said backward communities in AP benefitted by Rs 1.33 lakh crore through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) and non-DBT schemes during the past four years of the Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy-led state government.
The present government gave top priority to BCs in all respects during its term, they said and dared Telugu Desam chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu to face a public debate with the details of BC welfare steps he took in the five years of the previous TD government.
Rajya Sabha member Venkataramana said a strange situation was evident in state politics as “facts are being distorted 100 per cent by the TD and some others to mislead the public.”
“Chandrababu's son Lokesh is spending money to mobilise caste support in the name of Yuvagalam and is holding meetings by bringing film anchors to attract the masses, as his yatra has turned into a flop show. Lokesh learned the styles of Chandrababu's political intrigues and conspiracies and is also trying to gain political benefits with a Goebbelsian campaign.
Venkataramana stated that SSC student Amarnath’s murder that happened in Repalle last month was not politically motivated but Lokesh tried to make it so by wrongly projecting it as an attack on BCs. Police action was taken against the culprits within 24 hours of the incident. Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy was deeply moved by the incident and he offered aid and support to the family.”
He recalled that when Naidu was in power, a BC student named Rishiteshwari was murdered in Nagarjuna University, near the CM's office, but “Chandrababu didn't even give a chance to the victim's parents to meet him at that time.”
He claimed, “During Jagan Mohan Reddy's reign, there is social, economic and political recognition of BCs. The government established a permanent BC commission for BCs. Some 45 per cent (10 ministers) of the Cabinet as also the Speaker are from BCs. As far as Rajya Sabha seats are concerned, TD never sent BCs. Chandrababu has a lousy political history of making bargains and giving Rajya Sabha seats to greedy people. Jagan Mohan Reddy have Rajya Sabha seats to four BCs and sent six BCs to the Lok Sabha.
“In the Assembly, there are 31 BC MLAs, 19 BC MLCs. There are 56 BC corporators, 9 mayors, 98 municipal chairmen, 9 ZP chairmen and 215 ZPTCs in the local bodies.”
Beeda Mastan said the benefit to BCs through DBT and non-DBT was as high as '1.33 lakh crore in the past four years of the Jagan Mohan Reddy government. Some 1.50 lakh people in the state are employed under the secretariat system, 60 per cent of which are BCs.
He recalled that during Chandrababu's tenure, only Rs 16,000 crore was allocated in the Budget for development of the BCs. He dared Naidu to join a debate to show what he did for the development of BCs during his tenure and what Jagan Mohan Reddy has done.
He alleged that Chandrababu and his supporters were spewing venom on the Jagan Mohan Reddy government. “However, the people of Andhra Pradesh will not believe these lies.”
YSRC BC MPs Pilli Subhash Chandra Bose, Bheeshetti Satyavathy, Bellana Chandrasekhar and others also spoke.
