Praja Sankalpa Yatra Diary, Day 72: The Sorrows of the Disabled Multiply Under Chandrababu 

Timmanna Samudram, Sri Potti Sri Ramulu Nellore district: This morning a few impoverished children came and greeted me holding roses in their hands. I told their mothers that they deserve a good education and that parents should make every effort to ensure that children get educated. I also assured them that when YSRCP comes to power and when Rajanna Rajyam is ushered in, the government would stand by them and support them in this aspect completely.

After walking further down, Ranga Reddy told me that he wanted to have a picture taken with me. He had been walking along with me right from the time I commenced my Padayatra in Idupulapaya. He has tremendous respect for my father, the late Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy and a lot of affection for me, Ranga Reddy always said. Sometime in the afternoon I got the shocking news that he suffered a massive heart attack and passed away even before he could be rushed to a hospital. I was numb with shock. There were no words to express my grief and I still have not been able to come to terms with this tragedy. I paid homage to his mortal remains and prayed to God to grant eternal peace and rest to his soul.

Today an association of representatives fighting for the rights of the disabled came to meet me. They described at length the neglect that they had been subjected to by the current TDP government. “Anna, we are disabled and yet we have to fight for our rights,” they said. The Telugu Desam manifesto had declared that the disabled would be given a pension of Rs.1500, but after tweaking this scheme it said that after calculating the percentage of disability, the government had decided to grant Rs.1,000 to those who suffered from disability to the extent of 80% and Rs.1500 to those who suffered from disability over 80%. The government, led by Mr Chandrababu Naidu, however continues to shout from rooftops that it has been been granting the disabled pensions of Rs.1500. The legislation enacted for the handicapped in 2016 is not seen in practice and the corporation established for the handicapped is a picture of complete neglect and apathy on the part of the TDP government. The situation is such that for even getting a certificate issued by the government authorities, the handicapped have to go through a long ordeal.

“In villages, Janmabhoomi committees dictate our lives and rights. Even the disabled who do not have any means of sustenance, are forced to give bribes to get work done." We wonder if we are living in a democracy judging by the way we are being discriminated against! Earlier attendants accompanying a handicapped person, used to get concession in RTC buses, But even that has now been withdrawn. The government has slashed sharply, the number of aids given to the disabled and equipment offered to them, I learnt.

When I listened to the untold suffering they were being subjected to, I felt deeply disturbed. My father, the late Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy, always believed that the disabled should lead a life of dignity and should not be treated as a burden to society. In contrast, the current TDP government seems to spread darkness in the lives of the disabled, making every day existence an ordeal for them. It is imperative that the government change its attitude towards the disabled. Ranging from certificates given, to granting pensions to them and ensuring that they get due quotas and concessions in jobs and employment, a revolutionary change needs to be brought about in the case of the disabled. I resolved to transform their lives when the YSRCP comes to power.

After completing my walkathon in Sullurupeta, I stepped into Gudur constituency. I have a question for the chief minister—let’s take the case of two constituencies I have covered so far in this district. The SEZs in Sullurupeta, Sri City, Mambettu and Menukuru; the Swarnamukhi Barrage, the water supply scheme from Kandaleru to Guduru and the railway flyover were among the pioneering projects which testify to the development during my father’s period. Can you, who never lose an opportunity to trumpet your long run as Chief Minister, cite a single such developmental program? Is it of any use to anyone if you have been Chief Minister for a long spell?