TDP government indulged in unprecedented deception  

Palasa: Cyclone Titli devastated the region badly, YSR Congress party chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy observed. YS Jagan added that apart from massive publicity Chandrababu Naidu did precious little. Cyclone Victims got no assistance he said and added that there was no power in the area for a month. As regards relief, YS Jagan pointed out that there were huge irregularities in compensation. In fact, farmers told him that TDP leaders got compensation showing more land than they had and that hundreds of cheques with a picture of the CM's face, given to farmers, bounced. The YSRCP chief read out the names of some of the people who were given such cheques. Farmers and other victims asked him whether these cheques should be consigned to the dustbin.

The TDP government indulged in unprecedented deception, YS Jagan said. Chandrababu sought assistance of Rs. 3430 crores. YS Jagan asked the AP chief minister as to how much relief was actually given to the victims. He commented that only 15% was given amounting to Rs. 500 cr, but the publicity drive Chandrababu embarked suggested otherwise. His publicity extended down to all RTC buses and in many cases, photos of people questioning the AP chief minister and criticising his government, were used as if to suggest they appreciated his government's relief efforts. This was the case everywhere including buses and flexis in Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam, he observed.

YS Jagan, in the context of cyclone Titli relief and assistance likened Chandrababu Naidu to someone who picks coins off corpses. He added that when YSRCP comes to power farmers would get Rs. 3000 for every coconut tree lost. The YSRCP chief said that each hectare will get Rs. 50,000 instead of the 30,000 announced by Chandrababu Naidu. He added that the homeless will be given houses built under Rajanna Rajyam.

YS Jagan pointed out that cashew price has fallen steeply from 1500 to 600 a kg. But in shops of the Heritage chain owned by Chandrababu's family members, a kg of cashew cost Rs. 1120. He added that the government under TDP was nothing but broker raj. The chief minister himself has become the captain of middlemen, he remarked.

YS Jagan told the massive gathering that farmers say that they don't have paddy buying centres. The promised drinking water supply project is a non-starter under Chandrababu, he said.

The YSR Congress party chief observed that Pawan Kalyan acts as Chandrababu's partner at the time of elections. Pawan Kalyan refers to a problem as if it is being unearthed for the first time and Chandrababu Naidu promptly pretends to extend help. This could be seen from the publicity the yellow media gave to Chandrababu's so-called help to kidney patients, YS Jagan said. He added that only 370 kidney patients out of thousands were getting pensions of a paltry amount of Rs. 2500.

YS Jagan assured the huge gathering that a kidney specialty hospital with 200 beds and a research centre will be completed in 2 years under Rajanna Rajyam. As part of the healthcare outreach to villages, tests will be conducted at the doorsteps of the villagers, he added. He also assured the audience that dialysis patients under Rajanna Rajyam would get Rs. 10,000 per month. YS Jagan commented that contaminated water in the region was causing kidney problems.

YS Jagan said that under Rajanna Rajyam there would be no dependence on bore-wells and that water would be supplied through pipelines from reservoirs.

The YSRCP chief remarked that jetties for fishermen were promised by Chandrababu, but not built. They were given Rs.15 lakhs in the name of a port, for land worth Rs. 30-40 lakhs, fishermen and locals complained. The amount of Rs. 4000 given during non-fishing season was not being given, they complained. YS Jagan assured fishermen of the region that under YSRCP Rs. 10,000 will given to them during non-fishing season and that jetties will be built as sought by fishermen.