The “Social Empowerment Yatra” launched by YSRCP has encountered significant challenges in all three regions of the state, with little response from the public. This has posed difficulties for the ruling party in mobilizing public support.
The yatras commenced on Thursday in Ichapuram, Srikakulam district in North Andhra, Tenali in Guntur district on the South Coast, and Shinganamala in Anantapur district in Rayalaseema. Unfortunately, there seems to be a lack of coordination among party leaders.
These yatras have struggled to gather a significant following. Meetings were initially held on footpaths, with the expectation that people would assemble at road junctions and market centers, but the response from the public has been lacking.
Ministers and MLAs found it challenging to effectively communicate the assistance provided by Jagan’s government to the poor and marginalized sections during their four and a half years in power.
Rather than listening to the concerns of the people, they primarily focused on delivering their own messages, which led to strong protests from the public. The leaders also criticized Chandrababu’s wife, Bhuvaneswari, who is actively participating in the ‘Nijam Gelawali’ program.
Chandrababu and Pawan Kalyan were also targeted, as has become customary. Some senior leaders did not pay much attention to the meetings, either due to the limited public response or other priorities.
Minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy, who attended the bus trip in Shinganamala, Anantapur district, did not take the stage. MLAs Kethireddy Venkataramireddy and Kethireddy Peddareddy from Dharmavaram and Tadipatri were absent.
YSRCP leaders were surprised when MLAs Sridhar Reddy, Y. Venkatrami Reddy, and PV Sidda Reddy from Puttaparthi, Guntakallu, and Kadiri left while the meeting was ongoing. The ruling party leaders made strenuous efforts to assemble the crowd.
In Ichhapuram, Srikakulam district, a public meeting was held for only an hour, but the public was kept restricted throughout the day. Ministers Botsa Satyanarayana, Dharmana Prasada Rao, Sidiri Appalaraju, Nagarjuna, and other Uttarandhra MLAs participated, with a strong focus on criticizing the TDP and Chandrababu.
Botsa chose not to address the gathering, and Speaker Tammineni Sitaram did not attend the event. It appears that YSRCP’s bus trip is primarily a response to Bhuvaneswari’s ‘Nijam Gelavali’ program.
