KAKINADA: Former chief minister and the Telugu Desam chief N. Chandrababu Naidu travelled in an RTC bus from Alamuru to Ravulapalem on Thursday.
He bought a ticket, sat with other passengers and chatted with them. The passengers told Naidu that prices have been rising for essentials during the YSRC rule and their life has become more difficult.
“Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy is giving an amount to us with one hand and grabbing it from us with the other hand,” a passenger said while another passenger said the green tax has been hiked from Rs 200 to Rs 7,500.
Naidu said that he would chalk out a plan to generate new income sources for the poor who are working very hard for their livelihood. Later, he told the media that the Panchayat Raj system had been destabilised during the YSRC rule. He would give due importance to the Sarpanches.
“TD would formulate a special policy for the welfare of Backward Classes. All efforts would be made to assist those who are below the poverty line and to bring them up in life.”
After visiting the sand ramp at Jonnada in BR Ambedkar Konaseema district, he told a public meeting at Ravulapalem that his party’s BC policy would benefit all the BCs pursuing traditional crafts, like washermen, carpenters, goldsmiths, pot manufacturers, weavers etc.
He said a sum of Rs 1,500 per month would be given to women if his party wins power. He would teach them to multiply its sum manifold.
“If I had been given the chance to win the 2019 elections, I would have made AP the best state in the country.”
“I know how to implement welfare schemes and at the same time how to create wealth for the state. The TD would not raise the power tariff and power will be generated by tapping three sources --solar, wind and hydel. Power can thus be supplied round-the-clock without any interruption and without raising the tariff,” he said.
Naidu said if the power tariff is reduced, as is his aim, crores of investors can come to the state to set up their units.
Earlier, the TD chief visited the Jonnad sand ramp. He alleged that 10,000 tonnes of sand per day is being smuggled out. Kothapeta MLA Chirla Jaggireddy (YSRC) and his followers were enriching themselves by stealing sand, Naidu said.
