Vijayawada: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy as YSR Congress president has started an aggressive campaign against the Telugu Desam and other opposition parties in the run-up to the 2024 assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
Jagan Reddy is banking mainly on welfare schemes to retain his mass support. In every meeting he addresses, the chief minister explains the details of the welfare schemes and the extent of the benefits the people got from these in the past five years. “Vote for the YSRC if you are a beneficiary of the welfare schemes of this government,” he urges the public.
Jagan Reddy is also targeting the TD and Jana Sena on a high-octane pitch.
Cctor Pawan Kalyan, the chief of the Jana Sena, is still doing movies and has a large fan-base. There is major support to TD from Telugu cine actors. To balance this and to challenge the cine campaigns, Jagan Reddy has branded the commoners as the YSRC’s star campaigners.
Terming Naidu, Pawan Kalyan and Lokesh as non-locals, CM Jagan said, “None of these leaders are residing in AP. I don’t need any celluloid stars. All the people of AP are my star campaigners to get the government back to power in the coming elections. They know we would undertake more programmes to eradicate poverty and uplift the financially weaker sections,” Jagan Reddy asserts at his public meetings.
To the entry of his sister YS Sharmila as state Congress president, Jagan Reddy responded by saying, “When I went against the Congress, they forced my uncle to contest against me. The Congress always does this. They divide and rule. Unfortunately, what they don’t understand is that there is a greater power that would teach them a lesson. The Congress has reaped what it sowed. Only God can save it from a disaster.”
Only two months are left for the elections. Hence, the YSRC machinery is in top gear. Following Jagan Reddy’s footsteps, YSRC ministers, MPs, MLAs, MLCs and other leaders have increased their attacks against TD, JS, BJP and Congress.
Agriculture minister Kakani Govardhan Reddy threw a challenge at Naidu to face a CBI probe in all the cases filed against him or at least in one case. Deputy chief minister K Narayana Swamy challenged Naidu to come to his constituency to view the development done in past five years.
Interestingly, Kesineni Srinivas alias Nani, who joined the YSRC from TD and is an MP candidate for the Vijayawada Parliament segment, also threw an open challenge to Naidu to compete against him if he has the guts.
Housing minister Joigi Ramesh dared Pawan Kalyan to stand up for a discussion on the mega housing scheme, the Navaratnalu-Pedalandariki Illu. Water resources minister Ambati Rambabu said, “We are ready to prove the devastation of the Polavaram project during the Chandrababu term. Let there be a public debate on Polavaram.”
Civil supplies minister Karumuri Nageswara Rao also dared Naidu and other TD leaders to join him in a public debate on AP’s economic growth.
The senior YSRC leaders claimed that Jagan Reddy’s scathing attack on the opposition by citing facts and figures is energizing the ruling party’s rank and file.
