2024 electoral battle will be between Jagan’s ‘ahankaram’ and ‘atma gauravam’ of the people, says Lokesh

2024 Andhra Pradesh elections: Nara Lokesh challenges Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy's pride with TDP's self-respect and promises welfare schemes.

TDP national general secretary Nara Lokesh has said that the battle in the 2024 general elections in Andhra Pradesh will be between YSRCP president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s ‘ahankaram’ (pride) and the ‘atma gauravam’ (self-respect) of the people.

Addressing the ‘Sankharavam’ meeting at Madugula in combined Visakhapatnam district on February 20, Mr. Lokesh took strong exception to Mr. Jagan addressing TDP national president N. Chandrababu Naidu as ‘musalodu’ (old man) and threw a challenge to the ‘young’ YSRCP president to climb a hill along with his father. He expressed confidence that Mr. Naidu would be the first to reach the hilltop.

Disputing the claims of the YSRCP Government that it had improved school education in the State, the TDP general secretary alleged that the school buildings, toilets and other infrastructure constructed by the TDP Government were given a fresh coat of paint to make false claims.

Alleging that the village and ward ‘volunteers’ were spreading lies that the TDP would withdraw the welfare schemes introduced by the YSRCP Government, if it was voted to power, Mr. Lokesh recalled that TDP founder NTR was the first to introduce welfare schemes for the poor, and Mr. Naidu took a cue from him and introduced new schemes like ‘Deepam’ ‘Pelli Kanuka’ and ‘Pasupu Kumkuma’ for different sections of the people.

Elaborating on ‘Babu’s Super Six’ manifesto Mr. Lokesh said that the TDP, if voted to power, would provide 20 lakh jobs to unemployed in the next five years; provide an allowance of ₹3,000, a month, to the unemployed youth till they secure a job; scholarship of ₹15,000 to each school-going child in a family, up to a maximum of three children; provision of three gas cylinders, a year, free of cost; provision of a total assistance of ₹90,000 (for 5 years) to eligible women in the 18–59 age group; and free travel for women in RTC buses in A.P.

He called upon the party workers to take the ‘Super Six’ promises of the TDP-JSP combine to every household in their cluster. He said that technology was being used by the party to identify the good work done by the party workers and to reward them with nominated posts.

Regretting that the people had defeated the TDP in spite of its welfare schemes and good governance, Mr. Lokesh opined that as they have realised their mistake, they would bring back the TDP-JSP combine to power.