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Journalism of Courage
As temperatures soar, a political firestorm has erupted in Andhra Pradesh over the Election Commission’s (EC) directive to the Andhra Pradesh government to stop deploying village and ward-level volunteers to disburse pensions under the YSR Pension Kanuka scheme to the doorsteps of beneficiaries.
Directing the government to make alternative arrangements for the disbursal of pensions, the EC on March 30 directed volunteers to hand over all their phones or tablets that have the details of beneficiaries till the Model Code of Conduct is in force. It passed the order based on a plea by the Citizens for Democracy, an NGO run by former State Election Commissioner Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar, and various media reports.
From Tuesday, the government started disbursing the funds at the village and ward sachivalayams (secretariats). The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Wednesday refused to overturn the EC order.
The ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) has accused the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) of trying to “play with the lives of people by stopping welfare schemes” and making them queue up in the heat to receive their money. On Wednesday, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy called TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu a sadist for orchestrating the complaint to the EC. The Naidu-led Opposition party has dismissed the allegations and accused the Jagan government of financial irregularities.
In 2019, the Jagan government introduced a social security scheme under which village and ward-level volunteers are tasked with doorstep delivery of money to senior citizens, single women, widows, weavers, toddy tappers, fishermen, traditional cobblers, and artists. While these beneficiaries are entitled to Rs 2,250 per month, people with disabilities are entitled to Rs 3,000 per month. According to the government, there are 66 lakh beneficiaries.
Jagan on Wednesday said at a public meeting in Chittoor district, “Seeing elderly people suffer today since they can’t walk to collect their pensions, I can’t help but wonder if Chandrababu Naidu possesses any humanity or if he is a sadist since he stalled volunteers from disbursing pension by approaching the EC.”
The CM also accused his predecessor of using the organisation of Ramesh Kumar, whom he referred to as Naidu’s stooge. “He has done injustice to elderly people by denying payment of pensions to them,” Jagan said.
A senior YSRCP leader alleged Naidu was resorting to “cheap tricks” as he knows the NDA is headed for a drubbing. “The TDP is hand-in-glove with the EC due to their new friends in Delhi. For them, the lives of people do not matter. They can do anything just to win elections,” he said.
The TDP has accused the YSRCP of not having funds to run welfare schemes due to financial irregularities. “The government had money. But, within 15 days from the time of the announcement of the poll code, Rs 13,000 crore was paid to the contractors by this government. Once our government is formed, we will disburse Rs 4,000 per head each month,” Naidu said on Monday.
TDP national spokesperson Jyothsna Tirunagari told The Indian Express, “It is clear that Rs 13,000 crore has been given to contractors over the past 15 days. Volunteers are being misused as political pawns and are not the public servants they vowed to be. This is not service, it is exploitation. We demand immediate correction. For the YSRCP, it is always someone else’s fault.”
Actor Pawan Kalyan, whose Jana Sena Party is in alliance with the TDP and the BJP, has appealed to his party workers and alliance partners to ensure people receive their pensions.
Looking to sweep the polls again like in 2019, when it won 23 of the 25 Lok Sabha seats and 151 of the 175 Assembly constituencies, the YSRCP is banking heavily on the welfare schemes, dubbed Navaratnalu, to overcome the anti-incumbency factor.
A section of its leaders say the pension row may dent its prospects. “Welfare schemes are a hallmark of the government. Any accusations of discrepancy or non-disbursement of benefits will lead to a negative perception among voters and affect our prospects,” said a senior leader.
TDP leaders, meanwhile, believe they have discovered a vulnerability that they can exploit to the fullest extent to topple the YSRCP government. “Jagan’s welfare schemes are a sham. They are just misleading people and also siphoning off money in the garb of social welfare. The pension issue is the last nail in the coffin for the YSRCP government,” said a former MP who is contesting the coming elections.
