Yuva Galam has become a platform for the people of Andhra Pradesh to pour out their woes, observes Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national general secretary N. Lokesh.
Mr. Lokesh completed 2,300-km of his walkathon on August 3 (Thursday).
Talking to The Hindu on Wednesday while continuing his padayatra between Chatragaddapadu and Vinukonda in Palnadu district, Mr. Lokesh said, “Justice has eluded many people, including women, who are victims of atrocities, or whose lands have been grabbed, as their voices have been suppressed by the ruling YSRCP government. For all such people, the Yuva Galam has become a good platform to express their views.”
The State was endowed with rich mineral wealth, human talent, and vast coastline, but the government, instead of tapping the available potential, was focusing only on pursuing its welfare agenda, the TDP leader observed.
“Through Yuva Galam, I am trying to address public issues, and bring people onto a common platform to fight against the government,” he added.
Referring to the mini-manifesto of the party that contained six assurances, Mr. Lokesh said, “It addresses people’s real pain points.”
“It strikes a fine balance between welfare and development. This is like the two wheels of a bicycle (the party symbol). While one is the development wheel, the other is welfare. The development wheel is at the rear, which pushes the wheel of welfare,” he explained.
“The TDP’s mini-manifesto strikes a fine balance between welfare and development. This is like the two wheels of a bicycle. The development wheel is at the rear, which pushes the wheel of welfare.”N. LokeshTDP national general secretary
‘Govt. jacking up prices to service debts’
“Welfare purely based on debts will not last long. If you continue to bank on debts, consumer prices will rise, and that is exactly what is happening today in our State. Look at how the prices are skyrocketing. The prices of petroleum products have increased. The RTC bus fares have risen. The electricity tariffs too have been jacked up. This is because the government has to service its debts. So, we need the development wheel to push the welfare wheel forward,” Mr. Lokesh reasoned.
“The input costs have increased. Farmers are not getting MSP for their produce. The government is providing ₹7,500 per farmer per year, and has done away with all subsidies. There is n soil testing. All these are factors that are causing distress among the farmers. Andhra Pradesh stands third in the country in farmer suicides and second in the tenant farmer suicides,” he said.
‘Youth let down’
Referring to the plight of the youth, Mr. Lokesh said, “They feel absolutely let down by the Chief Minister. There are no jobs and there is no economic activity in the last four years. Show me one company that has invested in the State. But the YSRCP leaders claim big about investments pouring into the State.”
On the law and order front, Mr. Lokesh said that when his father and party national president Chandrababu Naidu was the Chief Minister, it was under control. Law was equal for everyone then.
“But, in this (YSRCP) administration, law is being selectively used against the Opposition leaders to harass them, to create problems and to stifle their voices,” Mr. Lokesh alleged, and asserted that they would not be cowed by such arm-twisting tactics.
Reacting to the Disha initiatives, Mr. Lokesh said, “There is no Disha Act in the State. But, the police are booking cases under a non-existing law. The government should first learn how to respect women.”
He said that the TDP, after coming to power, would provide drinking water to each and every household in the State.
