Chandrababu Is A Curse For Cooperative Organisations  

D. Erravaram Junction, Visakhapatnam District: Thousands of people who accompanied me on my Padayatra for two months in East Godavari district came right up to the border of the district and gave me a very warm farewell. The love and affection showered upon me by people of this district touched me deeply and will stay with me.

I stepped into Visakhapatnam district as the Padayatra moved to a rousing reception in Gannavaram Metta in Narsipatnam constituency. My father had taken the same route and had stepped into northern Andhra here 15 years ago, as did my sister Sharmila, during the course of her Padayatra five years ago.

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Narsipatnam is the doorway to tribal areas and the main centre for the trade of their products. It is the epicentre of the struggle against the British rule, the point from where the revolutionary leader, Alluri Sitarama Raju, waged his fight against the colonial rulers. His memorial at Krishnadevipeta is a reminder of his glowing contribution to the freedom struggle. Children dressed up in his appearance lined the path to greet me.

Workers from the Tandava Cooperative Sugar Mill met me this morning. The quirks of fortune are strange indeed. Each time Chandrababu Naidu comes to power, this mill is pushed to the state of closure. And suffering for workers follows as a natural consequence. I learnt that 15 years ago, when my father came to these parts during the course of his Padayatra, workers and farmers met him. They told how Chandrababu Naidu at that time had plotted to sell the mill cooking up a story of losses.

As soon as my father came to power, he restored Tandava Mill to its healthy state after resolving all problems and brought smiles back to the faces of workers and farmers. Chandrababu came back to power and the situation at the mill worsened, bringing it to the state of closure. Once again, workers and farmers are plagued with problems and the chief minister is busy plotting ways to palm the mill off to his proxies, they pointed out. They came and met me hoping that I too would stand by them, as my father once did and I assured them that I would not let them down.

Vijay Kumar suffers from mental retardation. He cannot speak coherently. I was told that he received a pension for the first time during my father’s tenure. He, therefore, developed tremendous regard for my father and has similar affection for me, as well. From the time that my Padayatra began in Idupulapaya, he has been following it closely in the media and has been collecting newspaper clippings. He made an album and has also been following my Padayatra on the television. He prepared a diary based on my Padayatra. I was deeply overwhelmed by the affection shown by this innocent person who remembered my father with such gratitude.

Devada Lavanya of Srungavaram was a victim of severe mental retardation. Wailing inconsolably, she met me with her mother. The one thing she was dependent on, her pension, had been stopped. It was indeed a heart-wrenching tale which she narrated. It is sinful on the part of rulers to deny such people what is rightfully theirs, their pension.

I have a question for the chief minister—why is it that cooperative sugar factories and dairies go into losses? What answer do you have to farmers and workers who allege that you drive these cooperative institutions into losses and bankruptcy only to try to sell them to your proxies?