VIJAYAWADA: Use of cuss words against the ruling party leaders by their counterparts in Opposition Telugu Desam (TD) seems to have turned a blessing in disguise for the YSR Congress (YSRC) in the state of late.
The YSRC, which was apparently left aloof from the public for almost two years due to the raging pandemic, has now got a new lease of life with Opposition leaders unleashing a swearwords war against the Chief Minister and scores of other senior leaders of the ruling party.
The Covid crisis dampened government and political activities for the past two years and majority of the welfare schemes and programmes have been implemented online. Opposition parties also conducted protests and agitations amidst Corona restrictions with fewer gatherings and on online platforms. However, usage of cuss words flared up anger among YSRCP cadres, leading to attacks on TD offices.
YSRCP ministers, legislators, top rung and second-rung leaders restrained from public interactions due to direct paying of amounts to beneficiaries and door delivery of social security pensions and other services through ward/village volunteers. Earlier, the government used to conduct mass programmes for distribution of welfare schemes in which ministers, ruling party MPs, MLAs, MLCs, local elected representatives and party leaders used to participate and address the public. These types of programmes used to help party leaders to interact with the public and to attract masses to their party.
Earlier, people used to contact the concerned leaders for their works including various types of certificates from the revenue department, but the volunteer system providing hassle free services detached the leaders and masses connections. The absence of public meetings by the ruling party due to Covid-19 pandemic restrictions also put a huge impact on leaders’ connectivity to their cadres. The ruling party leaders were worried about getting support of the masses in the coming elections due to their lack of direct interactions with the public following direct transfer of benefits.
Senior YSRCP leaders said there was a political slump in the party due to the absence of government and party programmes in public. They said, however, the cuss word usage by TD spokesperson Kommalapati Pattabhiram against Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy flared up anger among his fans, followers and party cadres and it helped to reunite party activists. They said majority ministers, legislators, top and second-rung leaders participated in the two-day Janaagraha Deekshas on October 21 and 22 and it gave chances to leaders to mingle with the cadres.
Similarly, TD leaders also faced distraction of cadres from the party and they are claiming that 36 hours of Deeksha by Chandrababu Naidu in TDP central office helped reunite party cadres. Majority of TD leaders joined the Deeksha by bringing their supporters with them. TD faced humiliating defeats in all elections in recent times and party cadres went into depression with the poor patronage to TD by the public. TD senior leaders said that Naidu’s Deeksha kindled hopes among party cadres about rejuvenation of the 40-year-old party.
