No fireworks at Jagan’s review; MLAs asked to counter Opposition mind games

AMARAVATI: In an apparent bid to keep the flock together after the recent MLC election fiasco, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and YSRCP President YS Jaganmohan Reddy on Monday struck a conciliatory chord while egging on his partymen to give their best in propagating the government schemes among the masses.

YS Jagan held a crucial review meeting on the Gadapa Gadapa ku mana prabhutvam (our governance to every doorstep) initiative with his MLAs, MPs, MLCs, constituency incharge leaders and regional coordinators at his Tadepalli camp office cum residence. Contrary to the speculations, as projected in a section of the media, the Chief Minister kept his focus firmly on prepping his party leaders for the next elections with a sense of positivity rather than issuing stern warnings to the underperformers and those with a negative track record.

The Chief Minister, who had reportedly named a few of his leaders for failing to live upto the expectations in the past meetings, however steered clear of this path this time. Instead, he spurred them on the need to leverage social media and improve their personal graph to stay ahead of the opposition parties in their respective constituencies. On the political front, YS Jagan made it clear that he was not inclined to lose even a single legislator in his ‘target 175’ objective and ridiculed the TDP for the claims based on its recent gains in the MLC elections.

On the development front, the YSRCP chief exhorted all his leaders to complete the ‘Gadapa Gadapa ku..’ initiative by August. In another significant announcement, he said that the party would embark on a new initiative from April 7, 2023, in the name of ‘Jagananne Mee Bhavishyatthu’ (Only YS Jagan Is Your Future). The programme is designed to reach out to the 1.62 crore families in the state on the slew of welfare measures being implemented by the State Government.

On a positive note, YS Jagan asked his party legislators and MPs to be more proactive by extensively touring their respective constituencies. He also advised his leaders to leverage social media and improve personal graphs to rebuff the opposition’s slanderous blitz and misinformation campaigns to malign the YSRCP government.

“We are waging a battle against marichas (cunning demons). We need to be proactive and on our toes to effectively counter their mind games. The TDP just won four out of 21 MLC seats in the recent elections while the YSRCP bagged 17. And look, how they are projecting their miniscule gains. They are trying to fictitiously alter the popular perception by projecting this as a sign of their strength and resurgence.

“The recent MLC election results are by no means an indicator on the ground strength. How can it be seen as a parameter when the vote share of the elections for the Graduates constituencies was only marginal? Even then, a lot of Graduates voted for the YSRCP too. They (TDP and Chandrababu Naidu) are good at coaxing people with make-believe narratives based on illusionary theories,” he commented.

YS Jagan also urged his MLAs, MLCs and MPs to guard against the constant misinformation campaign being carried out by the opposition parties and their friendly media. “They are spreading canards that at least 60 of our MLAs would not be renominated in the next elections. They also claim that the YSRCP would not find a single MLA to field next time. I’m not ready to see even a single MLA of our party lose the fight in our ‘target 175’ mission. Our strength lies in the robustness of our welfare schemes and pro-people policies besides their effective implementation. Go the extra mile and reach out to every family in your respective constituencies to enlighten them about our government’s initiative,” YS Jagan said.

By the end of the meeting, there was a great sense of relief among the party MLAs, some of whom entered the meeting hall with sweaty palms, fearing the worst. The YSRCP chief not only dispelled any such fears by infusing a sense of positivity among the leaders but even scotched all the rumours in the recent past about an imminent cabinet reshuffle in the wake of the recent MLC election results.

Sajjala, 10 MLAs including two ministers absent

The review meeting certainly ended on a happy note for the attendees but the absence of some of the leaders raised a few eyebrows, sparking fresh speculations in the process. At least 10 MLAs including two ministers besides YSRCP key leader and State Government Advisor Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy were conspicuous by their absence at the meeting.

Two ministers, Buggana Rajendranath Reddy and Dharmana Prasada Rao, missed the crucial event despite clear instructions from the party leadership about the presence of everyone. Prominent among the MLAs who skipped the meeting were Alla Ramakrishna Reddy (Mangalagiri), Chintala Ramachandra Reddy (Pileru) and Peddireddy Dwarakanatha Reddy (Thamballapalle).

As news trickled in, Buggana Rajendranath Reddy could not turn up as he was afflicted with COVID-19. Dharmana Prasada Rao, who missed the meeting due to his tight ‘Gadapa Gadapaku..’ schedules, reportedly sent his son to Amaravati to explain his case. Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy was unable to attend the meeting as he was busy participating in the obsequies of Devireddy Srinath Reddy, former chairman of Press Academy of Andhra Pradesh, who has passed away recently.

It is also reported that all the absentees including Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy had informed the party leadership in advance of their inevitable absence. Alla Ramakrishna Reddy of Mangalagiri, who has been keeping aloof from the party activities for quite some time, reportedly cited an important family function for his absence. Ramakrishna Reddy defeated Nara Lokesh of the TDP in the 2014 elections in Mangalagiri. And yet, he is set to lose his seat to a BC leader in 2024 due to the presence of the weaver community population in large numbers in the constituency.