YSRCP will rise like Phoenix, says YS Jagan, wants Chandrababu to demand special status for AP

AMARAVATI: Former Chief Minister and YSR Congress Party president Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy said that the party will bounce back in the 2029 elections and that the predicaments it faced are temporary.

Addressing party MLCs at his camp office here on Thursday, he said that the TDP with its strength in the Lok Sabha must demand special status as the BJP couldn’t muster the numbers it anticipated in the recently concluded general elections.

“The political situation at the Centre is not in favour of the BJP. The ruling party is limited to 240 seats at the Centre and on the other hand, the TDP has a good number of seats. In such a situation, Chandrababu Naidu committed another sin by not asking for special status. Even in such a situation, if you do not ask for special status, no young man or young girl will forgive you in the State,” he said.

He said that the Chandrababu Naidu regime started committing sins very quickly. “When we were in power, our government did not see caste, religion, region, and political affiliations. We didn’t look at who voted for which party. Every scheme was door delivered. We had a plan for every home,” he said.

Expressing anguish over the attacks on YSRCP cadre and property after election results were declared, he said that the YCP would rise like a phoenix and win the 2029 elections based on the credibility it earned during the past five years.

“If we were in power, schemes like Amma Vodi, Rythu Bharosa, Vidya Deevena, Vasati Deevena, and Matsyakar Bharosa would have already been implemented as per the calendar. Beneficiaries are not sure whether they will receive the money or not,” he pointed out.

Urging the party MLAs not to lose faith, Jagan advised them to constantly be among the people to take the fight forward. “Problems are natural. It is in our hands how we face it,” he observed.

Expressing doubts about the opposition status for YSRCP in the State Assembly, Jagan opined that it would be ethical to grant the status of opposition to a single party. “Let's give them time until the honeymoon period is over. Let's make a program to instill courage in the workers who are being attacked. In the coming days, more and more people will join the fight. We are with the people. We will fight with the people in the coming days,” he said.

Recalling his 14-month-long ‘padayatra’ he said that he could still take up a fight. “I'm still at that age. I still have it in me even today. He also pointed out that even though the YCP had fewer numbers in the Assembly, it was still strong in the council.

Jagan said that YCP fulfilled 99 percent of the promises made in the manifesto. “This has never happened in the country's history. We treated the manifesto as a holy book like the Bible, the Quran, and the Bhagavad Gita” he added.

The former CM said that his Government distributed Rs 2.7 lakh crore without any graft or discrimination. “Every year we have released the calendar and then we have implemented the plans. We have implemented reforms that were never seen before. We have brought unprecedented reforms in education, health, agriculture, social justice, women empowerment, and good governance,” he said.

Predicting a comeback, he said that five years passed from 2019 to 2024 and time would run from 2024 to 2029. “What we need to remember is that only the first half of the movie is over. What we have done good for the people and they still have faith in our governance,” he said.

Stressing that character values and trust would win elections, he said how a person behaved even when he was not in power would determine the winner.

There would be difficulties when there was no power, he observed, but it's up to us how we respond to it, he added. “No one can do anything to us. They may slap a few cases against us. What more can they do?” Jagan said.