Jana Sena Party (JSP) president Pawan Kalyan has accused Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu of splurging government funds in the name of organising Nava Nirmana Deeksha from June 2.
Commencing his ‘porata yatra’ in the district at Kurupam, Mr. Pawan Kalyan said ₹1 crore was allocated to each district for organising the deeksha. Many developmental activities could be undertaken with such funds, including construction of the Purnapadu bridge that required ₹10 crore, he said.
Defections
Addressing a public meeting in the tribal dominated constituency in the district, the JSP president said the Chief Minister had ample time to encourage YSRCP MLAs to cross over to the TDP, but fell short of it when it came to resolving the people’s issues.
“The State government has completely ignored the north Andhra region. Unemployment is rampant here as a fallout of closure of many factories. Instead of initiating steps to reopen them, the government has given its green signal to industries that cause pollution in the region. People are fed up with the misrule of the TDP government,” he alleged. “This may lead to a Kalinga-Andhra movement on the lines of the Telangana agitation,” he feared.
Reiterating that the JSP had extended its support to the TDP in the 2014 elections in the hope that it would ensure development of the backward regions, Mr. Pawan Kalyan claimed that his party was at least able to make the government focus on pressing issues such as the CKD in the Uddanam region in Srikakulam district.
He also found fault with the Amaravati-centric development model adopted by the TDP government.
SCS issue
Referring to the Special Category Status (SCS) issue, the JSP president said it would have put the backward areas in the State on the path of progress.
“The TDP has changed its stance many a time on the issue. It accepted the special package offered in lieu of the SCS, and took a U-turn again. Such an approach has become a bane of the State,” he said.
In an attempt to strike a chord with the people, he raised their grievances during his speech and said: “The JSP will adopt a practical approach to ensure progress of the backwards regions if elected.”
