Chandrababu Has Made Lives Of Poor Miserable, Hiking Prices Of Essential Products  

Saluru, Vizianagaram district: Today my Padayatra passed through Bobbili and Saluru constituencies. The local MLA who won on a YSRCP ticket and the party’s goodwill, crossed over to the TDP lured by Chandrababu Naidu, who symbolises the most decadent facet of our democracy. In fact, Chandrababu Naidu has systematically derailed democratic institutions. On the other hand, the Saluru legislator, a tribal, who won on a YSRCP ticket, remained loyal to the party, bound by principles and ethics.

Farmers from Ramabhadrapuram in Bobbili constituency met me this morning. Because of the government’s neglect of Pedda Gadda Canal work, they did not get water for irrigation and were subject to great difficulty, they complained. The smaller canals were being completely ignored, they lamented. Because the existing canal was not being maintained, they expressed their anguish that crops had been withering for four years.

In the name of Neeru-Chettu programme, work which had not been undertaken was being shown as completed and bills claimed by the ruling TDP members to the extent of crores of rupees! But when it comes to work on the ground which farmers sorely need, funds and approvals are not being granted and nothing is being taken up. This is the sad truth and it is farmers who have to face the brunt of TDP misrule.

Girls came forward with great enthusiasm to greet me shouting and cheering with songs and slogans of “Jagan Anna” near Mirthivalasa.

Hemavathi of Jennivalasa was badly injured in a serious accident. The family had to incur heavy expenditure, which it could ill-afford, and in spite of all the efforts made by doctors, the girl’s right hand remained lifeless. Battling against all odds, the girl completed her engineering from IIIT. Adding another feather to her cap, she distinguished herself in sprinting in para Olympics.Her confidence and her willpower are truly inspirational and with exemplary display of large-heartedness, all that she sought from me was the strengthening of the healthcare scheme, Arogyasri. She said no one should undergo the painful experience she had to.

One thing that stood out all along my Padayatra is the fact that affection knows no boundaries. Imagine Jennivalasa , a village in distant Bobbili, and how far it is, in terms of distance, from Idupulapaya. Yet bridging the long divide was 90 year-old Satyavathamma, who has great regard for my father. She spent a month watering the plants near my father’s memorial in Idupulapaya. I was overjoyed to meet this elderly woman, so full of unconditional love affection and respect.

In the afternoon, youth from Kondakenguva village met me. They described to me what a torturous road the 6 km stretch to their village was. Newspapers do not reach this village, nor can an ambulance travel to this place. Students face great difficulty in commuting from the village. They told me about a tragic incident which took place six months ago. Dandasi Mary, a pregnant woman from the village who was experiencing labour pains, had to rush to hospital in an auto rickshaw, because 108 ambulance did not respond. On account of the bumpy ride on the pothole ridden road, she suffered from bleeding and delivered the baby even before she reached the hospital. As it turned out, her daughter died on birth. The youth were furious that the government was unconcerned about the state of the road and basic facilities in the village. The tragic irony and the most inhuman aspect of it all is that the TDP leaders, who waste no time when it comes to laying roads overnight for their sand mining and illegal mining activities, are completely indifferent to the needs of the villagers, as this instance exemplified.

My Padayatra entered Saluru constituency this afternoon. The minute I entered the area, I was reminded of the great composer of yesteryears, Saluru Rajeswara Rao. Saluru is renowned for its jasmine gardens. My father put in place the Peddagadda reservoir, in this constituency, as soon as he took up his iconic mission, Jalayagnam. Another distinction the place enjoys is that the lorry industry here competes with Vijayawada, ranking only second. Chandrababu, at the time of elections, had promised to support the industry, but forgot all about his commitment. The incomplete picture which Auto Nagar presents, is a glowing example of Chandrababu's misrule.

My poser to the chief minister--as soon you assumed office, you hiked the prices of petrol and diesel, imposing additional taxes, placing AP among the most expensive states for these products. Is it not true that, at the same time, you levied a very low tax on aviation fuel used by the flyers and upper strata of society? Is it not a fact that the steps taken by you are responsible for the skyrocketing prices of essential commodities, adding to the misery of the common man?