YS Jagan Padayatra, A Sign Of Imminent Change In AP

The political legacy of the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister late Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy was an onerous burden, not just for an individual, but for the entire party. The mantle fell on the shoulders of his worthy son, YS Jagan. As they say, like father, like son! Dr YSR was a person who pushed his limits to uplift the lives of people around him. His life was a saga of service to the poor and the suffering needy. No wonder then that his son, Leader of the Opposition in Andhra Pradesh assembly and YSR Congress Party Chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, imbibed this sterling attribute from him.

Also Read:Praja Sankalpa Yatra Sounds Death Knell For TDP In 2019

We find in the son, the same qualities and spirit which had moulded his father into a political colossus. The same devotion to the needy and an identical self-effacing commitment to transform the lives of the poor. YS Jagan is not a leader who belongs to the common run of politicians; he is not cut from the same cloth that contemporary politicians are. His path of politics is a difficult one because it is anchored in values and rooted in principles. We see this mirrored every day on his mass outreach programme, Praja Sankalpa Yatra.YS Jagan is a politician who could have settled for a life of ease and luxury, but decided to enter public life walking the difficult path which his father had chosen earlier. It was anything but easy. A vindictive Congress government in league with Chandrababu Naidu, foisted false cases against him to make his path thorny and arduous to tread. Undaunted, YS Jagan forged his own path and in the bargain, scripted history. He grew in strength and standing and is now seen as the most committed politician in the national firmament, with the entire residual state of Andhra Pradesh standing rock-like by him. He has indeed emerged as the only mass leader who can touch the lives of the weakest of the weak and restore the state of Andhra Pradesh to its former glory.

The people's leader that he is, he has taken it upon himself to get a first-hand account of their problems and the lives they lead under an indifferent government. YS Jagan kicked off his popular mass contact initiative Praja Sankalpa Yatra on November 6, 2017, from Idupulapaya in Dr. YSR district, after paying tributes to his late father Dr YSR. It's been over six months now and YS Jagan has marched on with an ever-growing number of followers as he strode ahead, rain or shine. The Praja Sankalpa Yatra entered its 200th day today and the upbeat mood in the party is palpable. This can also be seen as YS Jagan's response to his detractors, who tried to undermine him.

In all these days, YS Jagan has moved ahead without looking back and only stopping to enquire about people's problems. Besides, he has been highlighting the lapses under the TDP regime which have made life of the general public miserable. Be it lending a patient ear to the problems of the masses or even extending his help to the possible extent, YS Jagan is being looked upon as a leader who the citizens can fall back upon. This perhaps is the reason why he's been accorded a warm reception at every step of his way. Remember the historic moment he created as he walked on the rail-cum-road Godavari bridge in Rajahmundry? YS Jagan was not merely entering the East Godavari district, but was storming what the TDP has assumed to be its citadel.

Thousands of people are marching along with YS Jagan expressing their solidarity with him. The heat and humidity has done little to deter them from joining the leader of the masses in his padayatra. For the YSRCP president, the response has been overwhelming to say the least. The prodigious expression of love which has come his way all along has only strengthened his resolve to work for their causes and make their lives better.

It is clear to the world at large that we have a leader in YS Jagan who is scripting history in contemporary times with his exemplary, principled politics. It’s only a matter of time before Andhra Pradesh gets the leader it so richly deserves. The TDP, it now appears, will be relegated to the dustbin of history with every step that YS Jagan takes on his Praja Sankalpa Yatra.