The opposition parties in Andhra Pradesh, particularly Telugu Desam Party headed by former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, are practising untouchability in the state by taking anti-weaker sections’ stand.
This was the statement made by YSR Congress party president and chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, while addressing the gathering after hoisting the national flag at Indira Gandhi Municipal Stadium in Vijayawada.
“We have been making efforts to provide housing for the poor and weaker sections, but some sections have been stalling our decision. Those who do not want the government to provide housing for the poor are practising untouchability,” Jagan asserted.
Similarly, neglecting the government schools where the poor people study is also untouchability.
“Their argument that poor students should not study in English medium is also a sort of untouchability. Denying them quality healthcare in the government hospitals free of cost also comes under untouchability,” he said.
Without naming any opposition party, the chief minister said testing the patience of the poor by trying to stall the welfare schemes of the government was also untouchability.
“But we shall continue our fight till they get justice and their lives are improved,” he said.
He said while the other parties talked about social justice only as a political slogan, his government was implementing social justice in every field in letter and spirit.
“We have given priority to SCs, STs, OBCs and minorities in every sector and declared a war against untouchability,” Jagan asserted.
He said his government had opened a new chapter in the history of the state by taking up decentralisation through creation of 13 new districts.
“Ours is the first state to appoint a permanent commission for the BC welfare. We have constituted 56 new corporations for 139 BC communities and extended direct benefit transfer of money to the tune of Rs 2.31 lakh crore into their accounts in a span of 50 months,” he claimed.
