The State government’s latest mass contact programme scheduled to be launched next week is causing consternation among the ruling party leaders as well as the officialdom, who are worried about possible resistance from the people already facing several power cuts and farmers agitated over failed monsoon.
Adding to the Congress leaders concern is the officials’ scepticism about the timing of the programme that is intended to popularise the ongoing welfare and developmental programmes and ensure proper rapport between the people and the ruling party.
In wake of the sound drubbing in the recent by-elections, Congress party’s central leadership had directed the leaders and the Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy to launch more mass contact programmes to assess the mood of the people to the government’s performance.
Government is hard-pressed to come out of the shadow of late YSR, as almost all the ongoing welfare and development programmes are being credited to him and the Congress party ending up receiving brick-bats for sloppy implementation.
As per the mass contact programme, Mr. Reddy would be spending at least two-three days in a district to review implementation of government programmes and rev up party cadre while Ministers would be taking it up in their respective districts.
A senior Congress MLA said it was good to go to the people and try to know their sufferings.
Wrong timing
“The timing is wrong since people are agitated at severe power cuts and farmers are up in arms over short supply of seeds and fertilisers. How can we face them, when nothing concrete has been done so far to assuage their feelings,” he questioned.
In Telangana, leaders fear strong resentment over the government’s decision to release water from Nagarjunasagar to Delta.
“The denial of additional medical seats to colleges in Telangana could also trigger trouble for us,” an MLC remarked.
Officials have their own reasons to feel sceptical about the new endeavour.
Some officials claimed that lakhs of applications for ration cards, Indiramma houses, pensions and other economic benefits promised during Rachabanda –II are still pending as the government wanted to link them with Aadhaar cards. People will be restive about the delay.
This can put the Chief Minister and Ministers in a predicament”, a senior bureaucrat remarked.
Sources said that Chief Minister would start the new programme from East Godavari followed by Khammam, Srikakulam and Visakhapatnam.
