Praja Sankalpa Yatra Diary, Day 103: I Will Strive To Live Up To The Confidence Reposed In Me

Addanki, Prakasam district: Had my father, the late Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy been alive today, would the plight of Addanki have been so pathetic? This was the question posed by many people as my Padayatra progressed through this constituency today. Their opinion rang true. It was during my father’s tenure that he envisioned the Gundlakamma project, Bhavanasi reservoir and Yerram Chinnapolireddy Ethipothala schemes and put them in place. He ensured the completion of Gundlakamma project, which was estimated at Rs. 572 crores in four years at an expenditure of Rs. 579 crores. On completion, he dedicated the project to the nation.

Very little work related to the canal remained to be completed. But after Chandrababu Naidu came to power, the project began to suffer. Estimates to complete the remaining 5% of the work were hiked steeply—for cuts and commissions, he jacked up the costs from an estimated mere Rs. 13 crores to a staggering Rs. 161 crores! While funds continue to be swindled, work does not get done. Nothing moves an inch.

As for Bhavanasi and Yerram Chinnapolireddy schemes, they have suffered complete neglect at his hands. This fact pained me deeply. The lure of lucre and the insatiable greed of the ruling party leadership, cost the farmers dear! Thousands of farmers would have benefited from these schemes had they been completed, and we would have seen smiling faces in these villages. It is my conviction to complete such pending projects and bring cheer into the lives of farmers.

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A delegation of members of the Brahmin community met me. They said, “why is Chandrababu Naidu so spiteful towards Brahmins? He promised to set up a Corporation for the Brahmin community with Rs.500 crores. He made a commitment that his government would assist every poor Brahmin in the state. Thus, he raised hopes and expectations in the Brahmin community. Once he came to power however, he forgot all promises he had made, and consigned them to the dustbin. A meagre amount of Rs.50 lakhs were sanctioned and corruption, partisanship and prejudice distinguished utilisation of these funds. There is no transparency when it comes to the functioning of the corporation,” they pointed out. “You have to be a TDP party worker to enjoy any benefit. When the chairman of the corporation questioned these unjust means and fraudulent practices, he was humiliated and summarily removed even before the completion of his term. Instead of being of assistance to all poor Brahmins, the government handpicks those it wants to support.” During my father, the late Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy’s period, they pointed out that there were 13,000 temples which received Rs.3000 for rituals and ceremonies. However, Chandrababu Naidu slashed the number of temples down to 3000! When I heard the grievances of these poor Brahmins, I wondered whether it was so imperative to win an election by making all kinds of false promises and commitments using every trick in the book such as caste and creed, to come up with all kinds of illusory schemes!

A group of construction labourers met me to express their anguish about their worsening condition under the TDP government. They recalled that during my father’s era, a welfare board was specially set up for them. They pointed out that in his period, 1% cess accruing from construction in both government and private sectors, would go to this welfare board. In times of crisis, the board funds would be of great help to this marginalised sector. However Chandrababu Naidu’s ascent to power changed everything. Rs.350 crores from these funds were diverted to Chandranna Beema, the much touted insurance scheme. “Our funds are being spent for vehicles used by labour department officials,” they lamented. “Chandranna Beema is of no use and serves no purpose, but money for its publicity is spent from our funds,” they said. How unjust it is to spend money earmarked for construction labourers, who stand on the margins of society, on other schemes!

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I have a question for the chief minister—in only four and a half years, my father ensured that the Gundlakamma project was almost completed at a cost of Rs.579 crores. In the four years in which you have been at the helm of affairs, all you had to do was spend an additional Rs.13 crores and complete the project. Only 5% of the work remained to be done. Why did you not take it up and complete it? Were you driven by a resentful, malevolent feeling that my father, the late Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy would get due credit for it? Is this proper and just on the part of a chief minister? Is it not unfair to hike up the cost of the remaining 5% work on this project from Rs.13 crores to Rs.161 crores, only out of your greed? Is this not brazen plunder of public money?