Andhra Pradesh: Jagan sounds poll bugle with attack on Naidu

Comparing the upcoming assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh with the war in epic Mahabharata , YSR Congress Party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Saturday said his party was ready for the big battle and exuded confidence that he would script a new history in the state.

Kickstarting his election campaign with the slogan “Siddham” (ready), at a massive rally of YSRCP workers at Sangivalasa village of Bheemili assembly constituency on the outskirts of Visakhapatnam, Jagan described his party cadre as “Pandava” army, while that of opposition “Kaurava” army.

“The person in front of you is not Abhimanyu but Arjuna. My people, please stand by me, as Krishna had done for Arjun in the Mahabharata war. I am your Arjuna. The schemes I am implementing for the welfare of the poor people are my arrows in this battle,” he said.

Stating that he was happy to see his soldiers ready for the battle, the YSRCP chief expressed confidence that his party would win 175 out of 175 assembly seats in the next elections and script a new history.

He said his party and its cadre were fighting a gang of thieves, whose tactics and promises were deceitful. “It is only because we have fulfilled all our manifesto promises, a seasoned politician like N Chandrababu Naidu of Telugu Desam Party is scared of fighting against us independently and is forced to ally with Jana Sena,” he said.

Jagan said in the last 56 months of the YSRCP regime, be it in welfare or development, his government had created a new record by fulfilling 99% of its manifesto promises. “In the next 75 days, I want every party leader to visit every household in the state and explain to people how Naidu had failed to fulfil even 10% of his 650 promises he had made in the 2014 election manifesto,” he said.

The chief minister called upon the party cadre to visit every household in every village in every constituency, right from Kuppam to Ichchapuram, and explain to people about the ward secretariat system, Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs), volunteer system, upgrade of government schools under Mana Badi Nadu-Nedu, deployment of women police personnel in villages for the safety of women, and establishment of digital libraries in just 56 months

“We are a responsible government leading the 21st century by breaking the shackles of inequality and making every poor family better off. Go to every house and convey the message. There are only 70 days to go for elections and I want you to go door-to-door and give details to each and every family,” he said.

According to a YSRCP leader familiar with arrangements of the meeting, more than 300,000 party workers from six districts in north Andhra – Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, Parvathipuram Manyam, Alluri Sitaram Raju, and Anakapalli -- representing 34 assembly constituencies attended the meeting.

Meanwhile, TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu also described the forthcoming assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh as a “Kurukshetra” war and it will be TDP-Jana Sena combine which would emerge victorious in the battle.

“The countdown for the war has begun and we are also “Siddham” (ready) for the battle. The people are also anxiously waiting for the D-day so that they can pull down this atrocious government of Jagan Mohan Reddy,” Naidu said, while addressing a public rally at Pileru in Chittoor district.

He said such was the anti-incumbency against Jagan that his party was not able to find the right candidates to contest the elections. “He has ruined the entire state and people will teach him a fitting lesson,” Naidu added.