Why Should Poor Women Run Around Courts For Your False Promises, Chandrababu?  

Darlapudi, Visakhapatnam District: My Padayatra moved through villages in hilly regions where there were no cell phone signals. This morning, seven sisters belonging to a family met me at my camp office. All of them had pursued higher education. They said that they had tremendous respect for my father, the late Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy and that they had similar love and affection for me, as well. They penned 55 songs which they themselves sang and uploaded on YouTube.

I was overwhelmed by this display of affection. Lakshmi of Goodupulova tied a rakhi around my wrist and gave me sweets, saying that even though the festival was still five days away, for her it was today! Her affection touched me deeply.

I was saddened by the story narrated to me by lower level employees at Isukasurulachera. They had been working as operators and watchmen in the water supply scheme and although they have completed 14 years of service, they were being paid only Rs.7000. Their problems increased manifold after TDP came to power, they said. This project is meant to supply water to 97 villages through a pipeline from river Gottivada. TDP leaders, however, have been excavating sand indiscriminately here severely impacting the groundwater levels.

Drinking water is a serious problem in these parts. The sand mafia implicates those who stand up to them in false cases and torments them in police stations, these employees told me in a voice of helplessness and despair. “How can we resist these sand mafia has backed by the government and police?“ This was their poser to me. What can these poor employees do if the chief minister himself is the don of these sand mafias? Tribal villagers from Allumiyyapalem met me today during the course of my Padayatra and poured out their troubles to me. They said that without an approach road to the main highway which was 5 km away, they were facing countless difficulties. When Chandrababu Naidu came to Narsipatnam during his Padayatra, they pleaded with him and Panchayat Raj minister, Lokesh for a proper road, they recalled. No one, however, it appeared seemed to bother. When the leaders of the party in power or pre-occupied with commissions and kickbacks, ever hear the voice of these poor tribals? Will they ever understand their pitiable plight?

Women from the Dalit Colony of Venkatapuram poured out their anguish to me. These daily wage labourers were members in 4 DWCRA self-help groups. They believed Chandrababu Naidu‘s promise of loan waiver and did not repay the loans to banks, as directed by him at the time of elections. After he came to power, Chandrababu Naidu forgot all about the loan waiver and their debts kept mounting with added interest. Forget about Chandrababu’s promise of loan waiver, they are now receiving legal notices from banks. These poor women had to appear before the Yellamanchili court for no fault of theirs.

It was painful to imagine the condition of these poor daily wage labourers who were forced to hire a lawyer to fight their case and brace themselves for a legal battle! The irony of the situation is that while they had been deceived by the words of Chandrababu Naidu, they are being punished!

I have a question for the chief minister—women who barely manage to survive earning their livelihood as daily wage labourers, are being forced to run around courts. What is the crime they committed? They are worried that their small homes and the minimal assets they have would be seized. Who is responsible for this? Can you point a finger at them and say that they had committed a crime or offence of certain specific nature? Or do you at least have the integrity to admit that they have committed no offence? What is your answer to these women who say why you should not be punished by registering a cheating case under section 420 against you?

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