Kurnool: Even as the opposition I.N.D.I.A. bloc seeks to pivot the 2024 general elections around caste, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday tried to position the Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh as a battle between economic classes — the poor and the rich capitalist.
Speaking at a public meeting in Yemmiganuru in Kurnool district, where he disbursed funds under a direct benefit transfer (DBT) scheme, Jagan Mohan Reddy said, "The battle is not between castes, it is a class war with the poor man on one side and the dominant capitalist class on the other."
"The upcoming elections are like a Kurukshetra battle between a pro-poor government and the capitalists. You must be cautioned about the alignment of various political parties for electoral gains. In each of the Navaratnalu programmes, I have been able to guide my SCs, my STs, my BCs, my minorities, and my most impoverished communities every step of the way. I appeal to the people to assess whether they have benefited from the programmes as the only yardstick. If you have benefited, I urge you to support me and stand as strong backers of the government," he said.
He urged the people not to be swayed by false promises and negative campaigning, emphasising that he relies on their support. The Chief Minister encouraged those who have benefited from the welfare programmes to stand by the YSRCP and contribute to its victory in the next elections.
Before casting their vote in the next elections, the YSRC president said people should keep in mind the corruption and other misappropriations by Telugu Desam chief N. Chandrababu Naidu.
During TD Chief N. Chandrababu Naidu's rule, the Chief Minister said, citizens were forced to struggle for basic civic services, while in the last 52 months, under the YSRC government, people have received the fruits of welfare schemes and other government services at their doorstep through Sachivalayam system.
Jagan Mohan Reddy asked people to recognise the qualitative difference between the current YSRC government and the former TD government.
He said the TD chief never considered allocating house sites or constructing houses for the poor, even in his own constituency Kuppam, whereas the YSRC government has allocated 20,000 houses of which 8,000 houses are being constructed.
While disbursing financial assistance of Rs 10,000 each under the Jagananna Chedodu programme to 3,25,020 eligible beneficiaries on Thursday, the Chief Minister described the TD as a gang of thieves, accusing Naidu of leading a government marked by scams that deceived all segments of society.
The Chief Minister said though Naidu assumed the position of chief minister, women's savings groups have been downgraded from previous A and B grades to C and D grades, with 18 per cent of these women groups seeing a decline and he said now the percentage is only 0.3.
Jagan Mohan Reddy accused the TD chief of prioritising corruption over public welfare, dumping the election manifesto in the dustbin, and ignoring the needs of the people and said corruption was widely prevalent during Naidu's tenure, spanning from Janma Bhoomi Committees to Skill Development.
Sharing the record of his government, the Chief Minister said that the government has delivered 99 per cent of its promises made during elections.
He said the YSRC government has expanded the Aarogyasri scheme to include 3,300 ailments from earlier 1,000+ diseases, providing free medical treatment to more people. The government introduced 1,600 new 104 and 108 vehicles for emergency medical services, strengthening the preventive healthcare system with village clinics and family doctors.
While housing, health, social empowerment, and poverty alleviation were ignored between 2014 and 2019, the SCs, STs, BCs, and minorities have achieved economic and social empowerment through the transparent implementation of various welfare schemes worth Rs. 2.38 lakh crores during their tenure only. The government distributed house sites to 31 lakh women, with 22 lakh houses under construction, he added.
The Chief Minister highlighted the concrete results of reforms in education, agriculture, and other sectors, such as Rythu Bharosa Kendras, village clinics, new medical colleges, the creation of 2.07 lakh new government jobs, English medium schools, the renovation of government schools through Nadu-Nedu, bilingual textbooks, and the digitalization of classrooms.
