“There is no democracy left in the country, elections at all levels are now influenced by distribution of money for each vote,” said former Anantapur MP and Telugu Desam Party leader J.C. Diwakar Reddy.
During his 78th birthday celebrations at his house here on Tuesday, he told mediapersons that none was looking at development. “It is no more relevant if Y.S. Jagan has done something or N. Chandrababu Naidu has done anything. People are bothered only about getting money for the vote they cast,” alleged Mr. Diwakar Reddy.
Giving the reason for the TDP losing in Kuppam during the recent panchayat elections, he said Mr. Chandrababu Naidu had developed Kuppam in the best possible way, but the voters were lured by the money spent by the ruling party, hence it was the victory of money power, Mr. Diwakar Reddy opined.
He also alleged that people’s perception of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy was that he was earning ₹300 crore a day and that none could match his party in influencing the voters. “I am not sure if it is true that Mr. Jagan earns so much, but none can withstand such money power in elections,” he added.
‘No exceptions’
Explaining his experience during elections, the former MP said even friends and close people were no exception to the influence of money. “They would tell me that the opposition was ready to pay this much, ‘you are paying my neighbour, why not me?’ ” People were not bothered about what a party had done for the development of their city. “They only ask, ‘you have given a job to my brother, what have you done by which I personally benefit?’ ” Mr. Reddy said.
During the recent panchayat elections, caste did not play a role, it was only money and the alleged police excesses that helped the YSRCP win, he opined and predicted that things would not be different in the municipal or MPTC and ZPTC elections.
About the murder of an advocate couple in Peddapalli, he called for instant justice instead of dragging the case for years.
