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Journalism of Courage
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, who has vowed to defeat Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu in his bastion Kuppam in the next elections, visited the area on Friday, for the first time since assuming office in June 2019.
Kuppam in Chittoor district is Naidu’s home turf and he has won from here on seven occasions since 1989. In the 2019 Assembly elections, while the YSRCP won by a landslide, Naidu retained the seat – however, his vote share came down to 55 per cent for the first time, from over 60 per cent in earlier elections.
Leaving no stone unturned, the YSRCP cadre on Friday filled the town with party flags, banners and cut-outs of Reddy. YSCRP ministers, leaders and supporters also attended in large numbers, turning the public meeting at Animiganipalle village into a massive show of strength.
Addressing the meeting, Jagan immediately launched a direct attack on Naidu, calling him “a non-local” as he resides in Hyderabad. “Chandrababu has been CM for 14 years yet there is no development in Kuppam. Kuppam does not mean Chandrababu Naidu; to me, it is all about my brothers and sisters living here, their welfare, and their development. He could not even ensure double-laning of roads in Kuppam municipal area,” the chief minister said.
During the two-day YSRCP plenary on July 8 and 9, Jagan had asked people to give all 175 Assembly seats to the party and vowed to defeat Naidu. On Friday, posters and banners with signs of ‘Target Kuppam’ and ‘175/175 Jagan’ sprung up all over Kuppam.
“This is our massive show of strength to Chandrababu and the TDP. They will be decimated in the coming elections. 175/175 starts from Kuppam,” said YSRCP Kuppam in-charge, Member of Legislative Council K Bharat.
The chief minister announced an increase in old age pension from Rs 2,500 per month to Rs 2,750 a month and launched the third phase of the YSR Cheytha scheme under which women belonging to the Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Backward Class (BC) communities receive cash assistance of Rs 18,750 per annum, aggregating to Rs 75,000 in four years. He also laid the foundation stones for development works worth Rs 66 crore.
Even though Friday was Jagan’s first visit to Kuppam, Naidu’s constituency has received special attention with the chief minister upgrading it into a separate revenue division and later converting Kuppam panchayat into a municipality. A slew of development works, including widening of roads, setting up two new parks, a storm-water drainage system, street lights, and a new municipal office, have also been announced.
The chief minister also inaugurated an integrated government office complex during his visit.
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