Waging a lone battle against many gunning for his head, claims Jagan seeking people’s support

GUNTUR: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has said that he is waging lone battle against multiple forces coming together against him.

Listing out those who are gunning for his head, Jagan said at Volnteers’ felicitation programme here on Thursday. Jagan said Eenadu, Andhra Jyothy, ABN, TV5, Chandrababu, his foster son, a national party directly and another national party indirectly were baying for his blood.

However, he thundered amid lusty cheers that he was not deterred by the collective attack on him. Because, he had lakhs of people to support him and the God to bless.

Encouraging volunteers to visit every household and highlight the YSRCP Government's achievements, Jagan noted, “Not one of Chandrababu's past promises has been fulfilled. It's crucial to remind people that it's time for us to work harder, ensuring everyone receives benefits and schemes fairly, without bias. Those considering voting for Chandrababu should be cautioned about potential challenges, such as the cancellation of welfare schemes and the TDP's plan to abolish the secretariat system.”

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In a scathing attack on Chandrababu Naidu, YS Jagan lambasted him for preparing his party's manifesto in Hyderabad, which included schemes borrowed from manifestos of different political parties from neighbouring states. Jagan said that Naidu aimed to deceive the people of Andhra Pradesh by promising welfare schemes that exceeded the State's budget limits. He described Naidu as a plagiarist and copycat.

Jagan added, “Naidu’s rule, marred by corruption, is synonymous with ‘Vrisha Vruksham’ (poisonous tree), while our Government's rule is like ‘Kalpa Vruskham’ (tree of heaven), delivering welfare and development to the poor.”

The Chief Minister honoured the top village and ward volunteers at Phirangipuram in Guntur district on Thursday, by presenting the Seva Mitra, Seva Ratna, and Seva Vajra awards.

As part of this initiative, YS Jagan distributed cash rewards totaling Rs 392.05 crore to 2,55,464 village and ward volunteers, marking the fourth consecutive year of this programme. The rewards were given as a token of appreciation for the volunteers' efforts in delivering the benefits of various welfare schemes directly to the beneficiaries. This year, the volunteers received increased rewards, with Rs 45,000 under Seva Vajra (up from Rs 30,000), Rs 30,000 under Seva Ratna (up from Rs 20,000), and Rs 15,000 under Seva Mitra (up from Rs 10,000) awards.

During the 'Appreciation to Volunteers' programme, Jagan expressed his admiration for the volunteers, stating, "I salute all the volunteers who have tirelessly served for the welfare of the poor, accepting minimal honorarium and standing as the 'brand ambassadors' of the Government."

He praised the volunteer force of over 2.60 lakh individuals, likening them to soldiers advancing his agenda of serving the poor without accepting bribes. He commended both the volunteers and the volunteer system for their dedicated service to the impoverished, noting their heartfelt commitment.

Additionally, 997 volunteers, who collected high-quality testimonials from beneficiaries of the YSR Pension Kanuka, Aasara, and other schemes, were selected transparently by a committee headed by the district collector and would be awarded cash prizes totaling Rs 1.61 crore. Each volunteer would receive Rs 15,000 at the mandal, town and municipal corporation level, Rs 20,000 at the constituency level, and Rs 25,000 at the district level.

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YS Jagan drew a comparison between TDP's Janmabhoomi committees and the ward, village secretariat system implemented by the YSRCP Government, stating, “While Janmabhoomi committees are like Ganja plants that denied the poor people all kinds of welfare benefits, the ward, village secretariats brought by our Government stand as pure as a 'Tulasi' plant, delivering welfare schemes to beneficiaries' doorsteps in a transparent manner without corruption.”

He added, “While the YSRCP Government has disbursed Rs 2.55 lakh crore through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) for various welfare schemes over the last 58 months, averaging Rs 70,000 crore in benefits annually, Chandrababu's manifesto promises require budget allocations of Rs 1.26 lakh crore per year. How does the TDP plan to finance these schemes?”