VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy has raised a new slogan that carried a warning that ‘Chandrababu Naidu will stop the welfare schemes’ being implemented for the disadvantaged and poor sections of the people by the present government if the Telugu Desam wins back power in the state.
This slogan is aimed at winning mass support for the YSRC to retain power in the state.
The Jagan-led government is claiming fulfillment of a majority of the YSRC’s 2019 poll promises and implementation of several new schemes. But, the Opposition parties are trying to project the last three years of governance of the state as a “misrule”. They say AP’ financial position now is similar to that of Sri Lanka, where the coffers were emptied by the Rajapaksa-led government.
Jagan stressed on continued top priority for welfare schemes in the state. He asked the ruling party’s rank and files to take the pro-welfare campaign to the masses during the Gadapa Gadapaku Mana Prabhutvam mass contact programme, and awaken the people.
Political parties usually intensify anti-government campaigns six months before the assembly elections. But, this time, principal opposition Telugu Desam started its anti-government campaigns in 2019 itself — a few weeks after Jagan Reddy formed the government.
The TD, BJP, the Jana Sena and the Communists conducted numerous protests and agitations in the past three years and have intensified their campaigns in the past two months. TD chief Chandrababu Naidu and JS founder Pawan Kalyan started Yatras in various districts and are addressing public meetings to turn the tide against the YSRC.
The BJP is also doing the same.
From October, Pawan Kalyan and Nara Lokesh would undertake Bus Yatras which would continue for several months through districts.
Notably, the vote share of the YSRC increased to 70 per cent in the Atmakur byelection — from 50 per cent in 2019. Further, the government employees’ share of support to YSRC rose to 80 per cent. All these gave huge shocks to the Opposition parties, which were hoping against hope that an anti-incumbency trend in the next polls will help them unseat Jagan Reddy from power.
Chandrababu Naidu and other leaders have intensified their campaigns against the Jagan government, cautioning the public against “AP turning into another Sri Lanka” due to mounting debts.
The YSRC ministers and leaders retaliated against the allegations of the TD, JS, BJP and the reds but opposition parties continued the tirade.
In this context, the chief minister decided that offence is the best defence. He started a counter- attack by seeking to create fear among the poor about a likely discontinuation of the welfare schemes if the TD is returned to power.
He said, “Chandrababu will come to you with all sorts of false promises. The evil quartet wants the welfare schemes, being implemented by our government, stalled. A vote for (TD) Chandrababu Naidu will be a vote against the welfare schemes.”
CM Jagan called upon the party cadre to rebut the false propaganda of the opposition by visiting people at their doorsteps and explaining the good side of the YSRC’s governance and the danger from the TD.
Political analysts note that the Naidu government too had implemented some welfare schemes before the 2019 elections but Jagan as CM implemented a whole lot of welfare schemes with a new-found vigour and seriousness. The people still ask for more of it during the visits of YSRC MLAs to their houses under the Gadapa Gadapaku Mana Prabhutvam. This showed the enthusiasm of the masses towards the YSRC’s welfare schemes. Using this sentiment, Jagan started a counter campaign, creating fear in the minds of the poor over discontinuation of the welfare schemes by Naidu. This might encourage them to back the YSRC full throttle in the 2024 elections to the state assembly and parliament, the analysts say.
Minister Ambati Rambabu, Merugu Nagarjuna and others participating in the mass contact programmes stress that in the last three years, the YSRC government had given away a total of Rs 1.62 lakh crore to beneficiaries of the various welfare schemes in AP.
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