Y Satyanarayana

The Sun beats down mercilessly in Summer while at other times it rains torrentially. Yet, unmindful of either the weather or the conditions in villages of the state, YSR Congress president, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has been walking tirelessly from November 6, 2017. He set out from Idupulapaya from Dr YSR district on that day after paying homage to the memory of his father late Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy.

As he now enters what one might call the home stretch, one can see how the mass contact initiative, Praja Sankalpa Yatra has over these nine months metamorphosed into a popular movement of unprecedented dimensions. The sheer scale and magnitude of this historic walkathon has shaken up the ruling party in the state (TDP). No wonder from Chandrababu downwards, all party leaders seem to have lost their sense of proportion when it comes to criticising the YSR Congress party and its leadership.

The panic in the ruling party across the ranks is palpable. Meanwhile, YS Jagan walks on unmindful of criticism that is directed at him. He pauses to greet people who wait for long hours to see him including women and children, the old and infirm, the unemployed and the deprived, the homeless and the needy drawn from all strata of society. The sight of the Leader of the Opposition patting a wrinkled old woman on her ripened gray head or waiting for a moment for school children to click a selfie with him or listen to the sorrows of a widow or a pensioner—all these images reflect his patience, bear testimony to his sincerity, commitment ad integrity.

YS Jagan's paayatra is currently in Visakhapatnam district after having coursed through YSR district. Dr YSR, Kurnool, Anantapur, Chittoor, Nellore, Prakasam, Guntur, Krishna, West Godavari and East Godavari districts.

In a few weeks from now, the mass leader is all set to travel through Vizianagaram district to reach Ichchapuram in Srikakulam district where he would conclude his walkathon. The standout element everywhere has been the credibility that YS Jagan enjoys among the people of Andhra Pradesh and the chord that he is able to strike with the masses. In all his public meetings and community interactions, the YSRCP chief establishes a spontaneous connect with his audience through a rare degree of empathy. There are few such parallels in the public life today. In fact Praja Sankalpa Yatra itself is the first of its kind in the country.

Also Read: PrajaSankalpaYatra: A New Page, Seen Through The Lens Of History

Today marks the 250th day of Praja Sankalpa Yatra and from the phenomenal response which it has evoked, analysts say that every step YS Jagan takes on his historic walkathon takes him closer to the hearts of the people making him taller in stature than any other political figure in Andhra Pradesh today.