It was on the occasion of the inauguration of the distribution of ₹1,042 crore-worth "Jagananna Vidya Kanuka" kits to 43.1 lakh students.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy with school children during the distribution of kits under Jagananna Vidya Kanuka scheme. (Supplied)
A day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a scathing attack on the Andhra Pradesh government, Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy steered clear of reacting to the accusations.
Instead, on Monday, 12 June, Jagan hauled Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu over the coals for his alleged “anti-student and anti-poor character”.
He was speaking at a public meeting organised at Krosuru in the Palnadu district of the state.
It was on the occasion of the inauguration of the distribution of ₹1,042 crore-worth “Jagananna Vidya Kanuka” kits to 43.1 lakh students of class I to class X across the state.
Interestingly, the chief minister did not hit back either at Union Home Minister Amit Shah or BJP national president JP Nadda, who levelled serious allegations against the state government during their Mahajan Sampark Abhiyan meetings in Andhra Pradesh.
Jagan just made a passing reference to BJP, saying that even the saffron party “might not support him”, going forward. He made the observation while calling for the support of the people in his final battle with the TDP next year.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy interacting with school children. (Twitter)
In Visakhapatnam on Sunday, Shah called the state government out-and-out corrupt and said it was wallowing in one scam or the other.
Meanwhile, Nadda on Saturday described the YSRCP government as the most corrupt one in the country, and said lawlessness was on the rise without any check.
The BJP’s outbursts at the YSRCP government came against the backdrop of Shah holding talks with Chandrababu Naidu recently, fuelling speculation that an alliance with the TDP-Jana Sena axis and the BJP might be on the cards.
The two top leaders coming down on him in his own state might have been very embarrassing for Jagan, but he did not show it.
At Krosuru on Monday, Jagan, instead of attacking the BJP, trained his guns at Chandrababu Naidu, calling him a representative of the feudal system that sneers at the disadvantaged sections.
He demanded to know what Naidu had done for any section, leave alone school-going children, during his long innings as the chief minister of erstwhile and current Andhra Pradesh for over 14 years.
“Chandrababu Naidu is one who cannot bear the sight of a child holding a tab [tablet PC] in his hand, which is reflective of the feudal character in him,” he said.
He appealed to the people to contrast Naidu’s era with the current government, where financial help reaches the deserving beneficiaries under various welfare schemes without one having to grease the palms of anyone or plead with officials to have mercy on them to pass on the benefits under welfare schemes.
“We are implementing all the promises made to various sections of people made in the manifesto. But Chandrababu Naidu’s life is one full of outright cheating, plotting, unkept promises, and betrayal.
He said Chandrababu Naidu has the support of two newspapers, one TV channel, and one “adopted” son implying Pawan Kalyan while he sits down and schemes to loot the state.
He said the TDP, which is on the verge of being wound up, had run out of creativity.
“The TDP has borrowed a manifesto from a neighbouring state and prepared a bisbilli bath for the people to cheat them. Naidu, after serving as chief minister for 14 years, was now talking about Rayalaseema, BC, SC, and ST declarations. What did Naidu do in those 14 years? Chandrababu depends on promises and betrayals to continue in public life,” he said.
He said the people should be wary of the designs of Chandrababu Naidu.
“Ahead of us is a war between the feudal system headed by Chandrababu Naidu and the government which cares for the poor. The hallmarks of the TDP are plundering the state, distributing the loot among themselves, and stashing it away. It is a battle between social justice and social injustice. This is a kurukshetra maha sangramam. This is not a war against Jagan Mohan Reddy. It is an onslaught on the people. I am relying on God and you. You are my strength. I have good deeds for you and I am sure you will bless me. I wish that all children should do well in studies and become good educationists and leaders,” he said.
On Monday, Jagan began the distribution of kits to students belonging to all government and government-aided schools.
YS Jagan Mohan Reddy with school children. (Supplied)
The kits contain bilingual textbooks, notebooks, workbooks, three pairs of uniforms, one pair of shoes, two pairs of socks, a belt, a school bag, an English-Telugu dictionary (sixth to 10th standards), and a pictorial dictionary (first to fifth standards).
“Schools doors open from today and before the bells ring, I am happy to tell you that our government is giving away the kits to all the children who should receive them,” the chief minister said, addressing the public meeting.
“For the fourth straight year, as soon as schools opened, we are implementing ‘Jagananna Vidya Kanuka’ so that no boy, girl or their parents will go through any trouble for procuring things like books and uniforms,” he said.
According to the chief minister, the southern state spent ₹648 crore in 2020-21, ₹789 crore in 2021-22, ₹887 crore in 2022-23, and ₹1,043 crore in 2023-24, amounting to ₹3,367 crore on the “Jagananna Vidya Kanuka” scheme.
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