The Leader of the Opposition in AP Assembly Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy launched a scathing attack on CM N. Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday and called upon the people to question Mr. Naidu on his unfulfilled promises made during the last three years, when he visits the Nandyal constituency.
In his hour-long address at a public meeting at SPG grounds in Nandyal, Mr. Jagan described Nandyal byelection as a “holy war” between credibility and deceit, justice and injustice. Mr. Naidu would not have sanctioned a paisa or announced any scheme for Nandyal had it been an unanimous poll. He was issuing GOs and harping on development of the constituency because the YSR Congress was in the contest, he asserted.
He accused Mr. Naidu and his son and Panchayat Raj Minister Lokesh of being adept at making false promises.
Mr. Naidu fielded only one minority candidate from the TDP in 2014 elections, to split minority votes and facilitate the election of former Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy’s brother from Piler. He set aside Hindupur MLA Abdul Gani to get his brother-in-law Nandamuri Balakrishna elected, but made former Minister N.Md. Farooq MLC to woo Nandyal voters, the YSR Congress president said.
Even the BJP Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath Das inducted minorities into his Cabinet, but not Mr. Naidu, he said and accused the Chief Minister of remembering minorities only before elections. In contrast, his father Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy’s government had provided 4 % reservation and fee reimbursement to poor Muslims and helped them pursue higher education.
Urging the people to elect YSRC candidate Silpa Mohan Reddy, Mr. Jagan asserted that the Nandyal verdict should be the countdown for change in the government in the 2019 elections. The candidate’s brother MLC Silpa Chakrapani Reddy, who quit the TDP and handed over his resignation to the A.P. Legislative Council chairman, was admitted into the YSRC today, he said and lauded him for following ethics. He said he would camp in Nandyal from August 9 to 21 and visit every household. The Chief Minister failed to develop Kuppam, but was showering promises to develop Nandyal, the Leader of Opposition said and accused him of failing to fulfil promises made in his Independence Day address at Kurnool in 2014. Alleging rampant corruption and misuse of funds in various schemes, Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy said the number of pensions which had dwindled to 15,605 from 20,956 when Mr. Naidu took over, abruptly rose to 22,000 owing to the byelection. The ₹ 850 crore deposit scam of the Kesava Reddy school was cut down to ₹ 280 crore in the CID chargesheet after Jammalamadugu MLA C. Adinarayana Reddy, who defected to TDP, became Minister, Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy alleged. He faulted the alleged remarks made by the Chief Minister that people were bound to vote for the TDP as they used roads laid by his government, availed pensions, ration cards and street lights.
Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy said if his party rode to power in 2019 elections, his Navaratna schemes would transform the State extending benefits to every family. Assuring to declare Parliamentary constituency as a district, he promised free housing to the poor where registration charges would be borne by the government, Arya Vysya Corporation would be established, deposits of victims of Kesava Reddy school deposit scam would be refunded and the lone MLC seat would given to a minority of Nandyal.