Jagan Cools Down, Leaves MLAs In Awe!

The YCP legislators were taken aback at the sudden shift in Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s approach towards his party cadre. Instead of the usual graphs, survey reports, statistics and demeanour of the MLAs, Jagan said that he would not leave any MLA or activist of the party just because they are not performing for a short duration.

The CM was speaking at the review meeting of the government’s Gadapa Gadapaku Mana Prabhutvam and the change in his tone and tenor took the legislators by surprise. “Politics means human relationships,” he said and added that he learnt it from his father, late YSR.

Jagan said that he was striving to make them the MLAs again and to see them happy again. “If our graph is not on the upward trend, then the party and cadre would lose a lot,” he reportedly told the legislators in the meeting. “My work is to press the button and you should keep moving among the public continuously. It is only when we do these constantly, the party would be able to achieve ‘Why Not 175/175’.”

The Gadapa Gadapaku programme was launched in May last year. In all the review meetings following the launch, the CM used to discuss about the programme with all the figures and statistics in hand. He used to have all the information about every MLA, the places they visited and the time they spent interacting with the public. “You have not at all gone into the public. You spent only 5 hours in the public. You went to every household in your constituency but did not speak to the public properly….” This was the way the CM used to categorise the work done by every MLA in the presence of all other colleagues. The names of the non-performing MLAs used to be read out right in the meeting.

In the review meeting held on Feb. 13, he read out a few names and said that those MLAs should improve their performance. He even warned them that if they failed to show an improvement, constituency in-charges would be appointed for their respective constituencies.

There was talk that progress reports of the MLAs were readied for yesterday’s meeting too and the legislators entered the meeting hall in a tensed mood. However, they were left in awe seeing the change in their boss’ approach. A few of them said that the change in the CM’s philosophy could be possibly due to the YCP’s defeat in the Graduate MLC elections and the cross-voting by a few YCP MLAs in the MLA quota MLC polls.

In 2019, Assembly polls were held in April which means there is exactly one year time for the next elections. The CM called upon the MLAs to exploit the social media and ensure that the party cadre become active in the coming days. “Every beneficiary of government schemes should become the party ambassador,” the CM said.

Of the total 15,000 village/ward secretariats, Gadapa Gadapaku was completed in nearly half of them. In the next five months, up to August, the programme should be completed within the limits of the remaining secretariats. He reportedly told the legislators to cover 9 secretariats in 25 days. From September, a new programme would be introduced which should be carried forward with more vigour.

Jagan told the MLAs that their government had distributed nearly Rs 2 lakh crore to beneficiaries of various schemes through DBT, which is a never before feat. Through the programmes, 84 per cent of the families in urban areas, 92 per cent of families in rural areas and on an average 84 per cent of the families in the state were benefited through the schemes, he explained.

New Programmes

From April 7-20, Jaganne Mana Bhavishyattu’ should be implemented. Conveners of various secretariats and Gruha Saradhis should be made to work in coordination. They should go to every household in their limits and the programme should be implemented in a very concrete manner, he said.

During the programme, ‘Nuvve maa nammakam, Jagan’ stickers should be stuck to each household having beneficiaries and to their cell phones.

On April 13, Jaganannaku Chebutaam programme would be launched during which grievances of individuals would be redressed. Problems relating to ration cards would be resolved during the programme and people having those issues can approach the CMO directly or call up the CM directly.

Numbers in Detail

At the same time, Jagan also tried to infuse confidence among the MLAs. He told them that there would be no impact of the MLC elections on the Assembly polls. MLC polls were held for 21 constituencies and of them, the YCP won 17, he reminded.

Each MLC constituency comprises 34-39 Assembly constituencies and each Assembly constituency comprises nearly 2.5 lakh voters which means there will be nearly 80 lakh voters in each MLC constituency, he explained to the MLAs.

Of the 80 lakh voters, only 2.5 lakh got enrolled for MLC polls. Only a meagre per cent of the average 87% of people to whom the YCP government had done good, fall in the MLC constituency limits. Over 80% of the 2.5 lakh voters in the MLC voters are not beneficiaries of government schemes, he explained in detail. In such a case, how can this be a representative sample? That apart, there was first choice, second and third choices too. All the opposition parties and a few small parties too got united, Jagan said.

The TDP did not win the MLC seats basing on the first choice votes. The second choice votes got shifted and a lot of other factors led to the victory of the TDP, that too only a few of the MLC seats, Jagan pointed out and told the legislators that the MLC polls will not have a bearing on the Assembly polls.

In the coming days, the opposition parties will intensify their campaign against the YCP. They will say that 50-60 of the YCP MLAs would be dropped and would not be given tickets and that a new list is being prepared. They will also resort to smear campaigns on the MLAs personally. All this should be tackled properly,” Jagan told the MLAs at the meeting.

Ministers Buggana Rajendranath Reddy, Dharmana Prasada Rao and MLAs Alla Ramakrishna Reddy, Kodali Nani, Vallabhaneni Vamsi and others did not attend the meeting.