Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national president and former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu will visit various irrigation projects and highlight the “failures” of the YSR Congress government in completing the projects, during his tour of north Andhra from August 8 to 10.
Addressing a media conference in this connection on August 4, senior leader of the TDP and MLA Ganta Srinivasa Rao said that the Mahashakti Chaitanya Radhayatra, to create awareness among women, will begin on August 4 and continue for 40 days.
He recalled that TDP founder and former Chief Minister, the late N. T. Rama Rao had accorded top priority to women through various measures for their empowerment such as equal right to women in property, reservations for women and establishment of women’s university. Mr. Naidu had also worked for the financial empowerment of women through ‘Deepam’ scheme and loans to women through DWCRA groups.
He alleged that Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy had made promises before the elections but failed to keep them. He alleged that while the common perception was that the ‘Amma Vodi’ scheme would be applicable to all eligible children in the family, it was being given to only one child in the family.
Ridiculing the statements of Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy that 98.85% of the election promises were implemented, he wondered whether at least one of the nine ‘Navarathnas’ were properly implemented. He alleged that the promise of total prohibition was neglected and ‘loans were raised by the government showing the revenue earned through liquor sales’.
The TDP MLA also alleged that government employees were deceived as the promise on abolition of Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) was not implemented, construction of the capital was in a quandary, 75% of the work on the Polavaram project was completed during the Telugu Desam rule and the YSR Congress government has not done even 4% of the work. The other promises which were not implemented include: job calendar, payment of minimum support price to farmers, allotment of houses to journalists and establishment of an old age home.
Mr. Srinivasa Rao also alleged that the YSR Congress government was now going on a foundation stone-laying spree, after failing to do anything during the first four years of its rule. The judgment of the Andhra Pradesh High Court directing the State government to stop construction of houses for the poor in R-5 Zone was a slap on its face.
MLC Duvvarapu Rama Rao said that the Telugu Desam would provide gas cylinders free to women under the ‘Deepam’ scheme, and free bus travel to women in RTC buses, if elected to power in 2024.
