YSRCP Accuses Andhra Pradesh Government of Reneging on Welfare Promises

The YSR Congress Party has accused the TDP-led coalition government in Andhra Pradesh of misleading the public by reviving welfare promises ahead of the local body elections and claiming credit for schemes introduced during the tenure of former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.

Speaking to the media at Tadepalli on Wednesday, YSRCP general secretary Gadikota Srikanth Reddy alleged that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had let down women, farmers and youth by going back on commitments made during the elections. He said the government was now bringing the same assurances back into focus with an eye on the local body polls.

Mr. Srikanth Reddy alleged that many eligible beneficiaries from weaker sections had not been sanctioned new pensions after the coalition government took office. He demanded that pension arrears be paid with retrospective effect from the date a beneficiary became eligible, rather than from the date of sanction.

He further alleged that persons with disabilities were being made to visit government offices repeatedly to get their pension applications processed. Drawing a contrast with the previous YSRCP government, he said pensions were then delivered at the doorsteps of beneficiaries and volunteers assisted them with the necessary formalities. He accused the coalition government of dismantling that system and reducing the number of beneficiaries on various grounds.

According to Mr. Srikanth Reddy, the government was now asking people to submit fresh applications, which it said would be considered on merit. He described this as an exercise aimed at the local body elections. He claimed that the number of pension beneficiaries, which stood at around 69 lakh during the Jagan Mohan Reddy government, had since fallen by nearly six lakh.

Turning to assigned lands, Mr. Srikanth Reddy questioned the government's claims. He said a government order issued during the previous YSRCP regime provided for title deeds to be issued to rightful occupants who had remained in possession of disputed assigned lands for ten years. He alleged that the government was presenting the conversion of such lands into freehold properties as a new initiative, even though it followed from the earlier order, and was highlighting the measure to secure votes in the local body elections.

Referring to Union Minister Pemmasani Chandrasekhar's statement that five lakh houses had been allotted to Andhra Pradesh, Mr. Srikanth Reddy said the figure was insignificant compared with the 30 lakh house-site pattas distributed to women during the YSRCP government.