Minister dares Naidu for open debate on Dalit welfare, corruption

 VIJAYAWADA: Social welfare minister Merugu Nagarjuna affirmed that the YSR Congress government led by Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy would purchase all the damaged or discoloured paddy and other crops from the farmers without fail, and already the officials had started the purchase process. The minister refuted allegations by Telugu Desam chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu that the Jagan government was shunning its responsibility of purchasing damaging and soaking grains.

Nagarjuna challenged Naidu for an open debate on the welfare of Dalits in the state. The minister reiterated that they were ready to prove that the YSRC government had spent more funds on Dalit welfare in three and a half years than TD’s five-year rule. He challenged that if the TD proves one rupee of corruption out of the thousands of crores, then he was ready to face the consequences. He challenged Chandrababu and Lokesh to come for an open discussion on the corruption in the SC Corporation during the TD regime if they had guts. The Innova cars that were given by SC Corporation during the TD regime did not reach the poor, and they were in the hands of TD benami leaders.

Nagarjuna alleged that Lokesh was roaming around to cheat the people and Chandrababu was cheating the farmers. He challenged Chandrababu Naidu, if he was sincere about the welfare of Dalits, to come for an open discussion on the welfare of Dalits and said that he was ready to come for a public discussion whenever and wherever.

The minister criticised Chandrababu for restricting the poor from having houses in Amaravati, citing a demographic imbalance. He commented that the AP High Court verdict on allocating houses to the poor in Amaravati is a slap in the face of Chandrababu and pointed out that during the TD regime, the poor and the Dalits were gripped with fear.

The minister said that CM Jagan Mohan Reddy was striving tirelessly for the upliftment of Dalits like none of the SC and BC Chief Ministers across the country so far. He pointed out that TD came out with some songs to spread false propaganda against the state government, saying that the YSRC government had done nothing good to Dalits in the state. The minister said, “Let's go to the Dalit village, knock on the door of the poor, and they will tell us about the development.”