VIJAYAWADA: The ruling YSR Congress has launched a scathing attack on Nara Chandrababu Naidu and Telugu Desam leaders over the TD’s latest campaign “Idhemi Kharma Ee Rashtraniki” (What an ill-fate to the state!) protest programme.
Leading the attack, Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy said the people had felt ‘Idhem Kharma Ra Babu’ (what an ill-fate to us) over Chandrababu’s previous rule and sent him packing in 2019. “They said bye, bye. Hence Naidu is now sitting with his head hung to his hands, lamenting ‘Idem Kharma ra Babu’ at himself,” Jagan Reddy said.
The YSRC rank and file are taking the hint from Jagan and sharply criticising the TD.
Naidu and Nara Lokesh have started the Idhemi Kharma campaign under which they are raising the issues of encroachment of graveyard, absence of medical treatment and other problems, branding them “Idhemi Kharma”.
The TD cadres are also coming onto the roads with Idhemi Karma protests. Tension was palpable between the TD and YSRC cadres when the ruling party held protests at Yanamalakuduru on the outskirts of Vijayawada city.
Similarly, TD leaders conducted Idhemi Kharma protests in Rajahmundry, Guntur and other places and are also making Idhemi Kharma viral on social media platforms.
YSRC leaders, terming Chandrababu as Kharma (ill-fate) of AP people, started a counter-attack. Jagan Reddy lambasted Chandrababu in a public meeting at Narasapuram. He dubbed the opposition leader as a megalomaniac, one who “behaved like a jilted lover”, and “demanded that the people return him to power.”
The CM castigated the TD chief, saying that the people are looking at Babu and saying, “What a misfortune has befell on us” (Idem Kharmara Babu). He said even TD founder president NT Rama Rao might have said the same when he was backstabbed by Babu.
After the furious attack by Jagan, the YSRC rank and files are aiming guns at Naidu, projecting him as the ill fate of AP state.
The YSRC leaders alleged that despite having 40 years of experience in politics, Naidu failed to mingle with the people and hence, with a blank mind, he was following Jagan’s political strategies.
They said Naidu and other TD leaders made fun of the YSRC’s Gadapa Gadapaku Mana Prabhutvam mass contact programme, tried to provoke the Jagan government during the MLAs’ visits, but the people took note of the TD’s “conspiracies” and are bringing their issues to the notice of the government, in support of CM Jagan.
They said, “Naidu is copying our mass contact programme, through Idhemi Kharma, but it would be a futile attempt as the people will not fall in the trap of TD due to the pro-development and welfare initiatives of the Jagan-led government.”
Minister Jogi Ramesh, MLAs M Vishnu, V Srinivas, KP Sarathy and others said legislators are going to every house and explaining the benefits provided by the Jagan government to each family with statistics.
They recalled that the earlier TD government had provided welfare to only the TD supporters recommended by TD’s Janmabhoomi committees. On the other hand, they noted, the YSRC government provided welfare to all on a saturation basis.
