Coming down heavily on TDP Government for drastically cutting down the number of pension cards in the State, YSR Congress has said the people’s ire has been reflected in the dismal performance of the ruling Party in the Divancheru panchayat elections and the pent up anger of the public will reflect more in the days to come, what with the name of Dubukunta Roshamma, the torch bearer of anti-arrack movement, being deleted from the pensions list.

“Our leader YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has categorically told the State Assembly that welfare schemes will be slashed drastically as the budgetary allocations are not matching the quantum of the requirement. Without spelling out the norms or methodology the Government has deleted thousands of names in each district including that of Dubagunta Rosamma, who hogged the limelight for spearheading the anti-arrack movement,” Party spokesperson Vasireddy Padma told reporters here on Thursday.

The weeding out of thousands of names from the pension list has reflected in the election to Divancheru Panchayat of Rajanagaram constituency in East Godavari district where the ruling party secured a solitary ward while YSRCP has won 12 of the 16 wards.

This shows the resentment of the people towards TDP and this is just the tip of an iceberg. The anti-people policies of the State Government could be seen in the results. The State should answer as to why Dubagunta Rosamma became ineligible for pension

after the new government has taken over. There are many deserving persons whose names were deleted as welfare measures are

carried out on political lines. In Chittoor district alone more than 84,000 names were deleted and the number is very high in East and West Godavari and Visakhapatnam “YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has clearly foretold the evil design of TDP government when Rs 1,338 crores was earmarked for pension as against the requirement of Rs 3,800 crores.

The deficit will be met with by slashing the number of cards was what he has said in the Assembly and the same is being done by the State.

The Government’s version that all ineligible persons are being deleted from the list has no takers after Rosamma’s name was deleted. The list was revised on political considerations and we demand that the State should adopt a scientific method in weeding out bogus cards. The State on the other hand is trying to minimize the number of cards to fit the meager budgetary allocations,” she said.

The State has been dropping names, a different one at a time, for the proposed state capital to jack up the land value. The Chief Minister has hinted at another name to create an artificial boom as his interests lie in corporate sector and not in welfare.