Leader of Opposition in Andhra Pradesh legislative assembly and YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy addressed a massive public meeting here on Tuesday. YS Jagan thanked the public for joining him in his mass outreach programme, Praja Sankalpa Yatra, throughout the day despite scorching heat.
The YSRCP Chief said he was deeply troubled on learning about the sorry state of the Konaseema region. "Konaseema is known for the Godavari river, but the region lacks enough water during Rabi season. Konaseema is celebrated for the coconut crops, but it lacks drinking water. The region possesses natural resources like gas and petrol, but it is full of poverty and unemployment. People of the region are migrating to the Gulf in search of employment," he said.
The state's Home minister hails from the region, but there are not enough constables in his own constituency, he said. The late Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy (YSR) had built bridges worth Rs 70 crore in the region, but Chandrababu completely neglected the interests of the people of the region, he criticized. Even though the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) won 14 out of 19 MLAs in this region in the 2014 elections, Chandrababu tried to destroy the people's mandate by opting to purchase three MLAs from the YSRCP, he alleged.
"Ensuring waiving of farmers and women’s groups debts is the first priority of YSRCP. Unlike Chandrababu's false promises, we will build houses for all the poor in the state, if elected to power. TDP promised to provide jobs for every household and an unemployment insurance of Rs 2,000," YS Jagan said.
Farmers in the region complained to me about the fall in the crop prices in four years of Chandrababu's rule, he said. As against the Rs 1,750 Minimum Support Price (MSP) to the rice crop, Chandrababu nominally increased it to Rs 1,560 from Rs 1,310, whereas late Dr YSR almost doubled the crop price to Rs 1,030 from Rs 565, he remarked.
Reject anti-welfare forces: CM
