​100 Days of Praja Sankalpa Yatra: The Journey So Far

Y Satyanarayana

On the occasion of One Hundred Days of Leader of the Opposition in Andhra Pradesh legislative assembly and YSRCP President, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy ‘s massive public
outreach program, a brief look at his journey so far on the ground, which gives us an insight into the problems of the masses under TDP's rule in 4 years
.

On November 6, 2017, YS Jagan took up this historic walkathon from Idupulapaya in Dr. YSR district. He first paid homage to his departed father, the late Dr. YS Rajasekhara Reddy, at his memorial before commencing his walkathon through the state of AP, scheduled to culminate at Ichhapuram in Srikakulam district. Chittoor, Sri Potti Sri Ram
ulu Nellore and is currently proceeding through the dry, drought stricken Prakasam district. The problems people faced everywhere were the same--a government which became synonymous with corruption and nepotism, ignoring the needs of the masses.
Dictatorial ways of local TDP leaders ruled the roost everywhere. Janmabhoomi committees made life miserable for the common citizens , and did not spare even the differently-abled.

Take the case of Narasimha who met YS Jagan in Chagalamarri of Kurnool district.

Narasimha suffered from 100% blindness and to get his pension, he had to run around Janmabhoomi Committee members.The disabled met YS Jagan in large numbers in many places along the Padayatra.Their rightful due in employment in the form of quota is denied to them. Discrimination on the basis of caste,as also based on party affiliations seems to have crossed all levels of political decorum. In fact, it has hit an all-time low , as seen along every step of the way.

The patrons of sand and land mafias are invariably linked to the ruling party, land records are altered, assigned and temple lands are not spared! In every single district so far, one came across glaring instances of various facets of corruption.

People everywhere complained about pensions being denied,salaries not being paid on time,job vacancies for government jobs not being filled up, unemployment allowance not being paid, pensions for widows, the aged and disabled held back on one count or the other, ubiquitous corruption, and a host of other problems which plagued the state.

What women in all the districts through which the Praja Sankalpa Yatra has moved through so far had one common complaint. Liquor shops have proliferated across vast rural stretches of the state and is destroying families. It is eating into the vitals of the social fabric across AP, thanks to the primacy attached by the Chandrababu regime to revenue generated by liquor.

To cite two examples among hundreds such, in Kothapalem of Sri Potti Sriramulu district, several women met YS Jagan requesting him to ensure the closure of wine shops which were wrecking homes and family ties. Vanamma, who met the YSRCP chief in Modugupalem, lamented about the devastation which liquor wrought on the social structure of villages.

In all districts which the Leader of Opposition has walked through so far, the most conspicuous victim of the TDP rule was the farmer.

It was he who bore the brunt of the anti-poor policies of the TDP establishment. Crop loans promised by the government had not been given, subsidies remained only on paper, loan waivers did not see the light of day.

It’s the same story everywhere--banks refuse to give them fresh loans. Be it
paddy, groundnut,black gram,coriander, turmericor pulses, the farmer reeled under one crisis or the other.

The farmers' conclave at Yerragudi in Pattikonda constituency of Anantapur, mirrored the plight of the farmer across the state.

The Yatra shed light on several other developments, which, the world at large, was oblivious of--prestigious centres of handloom which placed AP on the world map,
such as Yemmiganuru and Venkatagiri, are a picture of neglect. The case of cooperative dairies is no different. All of them are in the throes of a grave crisis, while Heritage thrives. Add up the math, if you will.

Women in village after village complained about the betrayal of the promises made by Chandrababu Naidu, including DWCRA loan waivers children and the elderly came in large numbers to greet YS Jagan who listened to them with characteristic patience. Women everywhere told him about the DWCRA loans which had not been waved. Students along every step of the way, spoke of the present day government's indifference to their plight. The fee reimbursement scheme, a pioneering initiative, put in place by the late Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy, was yet another scheme which suffered at the hands of the TDP government. Students did not have the means to pursue higher education and those who were fired by a passion to study further, were forced to borrow, pushing their parents deeper into debt.

In contrast, during YSR’s period, the fee reimbursement scheme lit up many a mind and home with the light and joy of education. Kirti and her sister, from Adapareddipalle in Chittoor district, met YS Jagan during the course of the Yatra to express their gratitude to Dr. YS Rajasekhara Reddy. They said— “Anna, thanks to your father’s pioneering scheme of fee reimbursement, both me and my younger brother could complete our M.Tech.”

The unemployed are still waiting for the promised dawn to break. Contract teachers in thousands, hang in a state of limbo, hoping their services would be regularised, as promised. People from all walks of life look towards YS Jagan with hope and expectation. In these 100 days, he has struck a chord in their hearts with his Navarathnalu, which they fondly hope, will lead them into a rosier tomorrow. They say in one voice, wherever you go, that he will be true to his word. And they have implicit trust in him, because after all, he is “Rajanna’s bidda.”