T netas balk at Rachchabanda - Ministers,MLAs Refuse To Turn Up Fearing Backlash From Telangana Activists

In a setback to CM N Kiran Kumar Reddys first mass contact programme Rachchabanda scheduled to be launched on January 24,almost all his ministers and MLAs from Telangana are reluctant to take part in it in the wake of stiff resistance from T activists. As per the programme, constituency MLA and  officials concerned should take part in the implementation of various welfare and development schemes across  state. Abhaya Hastham,Rajiv Arogyasri, housing for weaker sections, Pavala Vaddi, pensions, NREGS cards and Aadhar cards issue will be taken up in the proposed programme,the brainchild of YSR who died in a chopper crash while going to launch the programme in Chittoor district on September 2,2009.
The ruling part ministers and MLAs from the region are reluctant to take part in the programme in view of the call of the Telangana political Joint Action Committee (JAC) to all T activists to organise mulakat agitations across the region with the aim of humiliating the Congress and TD public representatives.

Several MLAs from the T region already expressed their concern over this and brought the issue to the notice of the chief minister who in turn requested them to take part in the prestigious programme without fail as failure of the programme would send wrong signals on his administration.He is keen to make this programme a success as it is the first mass contact event after he became the chief minister. But none of us would be able to participate in the program,pointed a minister. Ministers from Telangana are skepti-cal about peoples participation in the programme at a time when the T agitation is intense and activists are after the MLAs and MPs with a demand to submit resignations to their posts.They are giving bangles and flowers to us. How can we go to villages in such a hostile atmosphere asked an MLA from Karim nagar district. The situation in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions also is no better as there is an intense fight between Jagan followers and Congress cadre for supremacy in the villages.

Congress leaders fear deliberate attempts from Jagan followers in Rachchabanda meetings to give an impression that the Congress government lost its credibility.A DCC president from coastal Andhra rightly pointed that any nuisance in meetings attended by the chief minister would give the impression that the government lost control and would further dent its image in the already fluid situation.Even the Jagan followers are waiting to exploit the situation to their advantage by provoking the local people against ministers and public representatives with an aim to deepen the crisis. Pending bills to the tune of Rs 1860 crore for pensions,weaker section housing,Abhaya Hastam,Indira Kranti Padham,Pavala Vaddi and mid-day meals are set to create problems to the touring ministers as the agitated self help groups and women might raise banner of revolt in the meetings.

In a high level meeting attended by senior ministers Anam Ramnarayana Reddy, Raghuveera Reddy, Botsa Satyanarayana and Dharmana Prasada Rao it was observed that without clearing the pending bills it would be suicidal to launch the Rachchabanda programme.After hearing this from his ministers,Kiran asked finance officials to release at least Rs 1200 crore ahead of the launch.As the finance officials insisted on more time to release the amount,it was decided to postpone the Rachchabanda programme to January 24 from earlier decided date of January 19.

PASSIONS: A file photo of advocates trying to storm the AP High Court.This kind of sentiment prompts Telangana Congress leaders to think twice before attending Rachchabanda
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(source-toi)