Terming the May 13 elections in Andhra Pradesh as the ‘Battle of Kurukshetra’, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy said on Friday that he is ready to stand with the poor to defeat the rich.
Elections for the 175 Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh will be held simultaneously on May 13, while the results will be declared on June 4.
Addressing a large public meeting at Yemmiganur village as part of his ‘Memantha Siddham’ yatra, Jagan Reddy termed the public as his star campaigners.
“Go to every house and tell the good things done by the government… Our target is to win 175 out of the 175 Assembly seats and 25 out of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state,” he said.
Stating that the YSR Congress Party has always been a strong support system for the poor, the Chief Minister said, “This time, we have given ticket to a candidate from a poor background. Veeranjaneyulu, the YSRCP MLA candidate (from Singanamala constituency), may be a tipper driver, but his educational qualifications surpass that of Chandrababu Naidu.
“Today, Chandrababu Naidu has lost connection with the communities he once claimed as his own. His people are now predominantly found in the neighboring state of Telangana. They can be seen in Hyderabad, close to the Hitech city, and are often from print associates, from Eenadu, Andhra Jyothi, TV5, and not to forget the ‘foster’ son, Pawan Kalyan.”
“Former CM Chandrababu Naidu did not fulfil even one of his promises…He said he would waive farmers’ loans, did he do it? He said he would make the state like Singapore…We have to protect the state from such fraudsters and I am ready to defeat them. Are you all ready,” Jagan Reddy asked.
He also claimed that in the last 58 months, the state government has changed the face of the education sector.
“Many youths were suffering without jobs even after graduation since the courses were not up to the mark, so we have brought radical changes in the education sector to get them jobs and other unique opportunities to live anywhere in the world,” the Chief Minister claimed.
He also explained the schemes benefiting school children, such as Amma Vodi, Tabs for students, and introducing English medium with bilingual textbooks.
“The opposition feels that children below the voting age can be ignored. But our government has devised a plan for nurturing them with quality education, eventually bringing them out of poverty. You cannot provide different education to Dalits and poor students. Our government has worked towards providing quality education and changing the future of every child in this state keeping aside discrimination,” he said.
Noting that the government has registered 31 lakh house titles in the name of women beneficiaries, he asked the women to support the YSRCP government.
He also said that these elections aren’t solely about determining the fate of MLAs and MPs, but they will determine the future of 2.5 crore women and their children in Andhra Pradesh.
“Considering the dire state of affairs under the previous regime, statistics reveal a grim reality: Out of 100 women, not even 30 managed to complete their 10th standard in this state. Not only this, the previous government took no action to address the issue of child marriage, while the women had no viable means of income to support themselves.
“The former CM’s (Chandrababu Naidu) legacy left the women in a state of helplessness. In such a situation, whether such leaders exist or not is irrelevant,” he said.