Key Points

The State Assembly session is beginning on September 18, but the YSR Congress Party has made it clear that it will stay away from the House unless Jagan Mohan Reddy is given the Leader of Opposition (LoP) status.

Replying to a question at a press conference here, he reiterated that unless proper status is given, there is no point in attending the Assembly session. He said the party would get adequate time to raise people’s issues only if it got the status of the main opposition.

People’s voice should be vented by the opposition party, and if they do not respect democracy, it is their lack of wisdom, he remarked. The YSRCP chief also mentioned that the matter relating to LoP status is pending in the High Court.

Jagan had filed a petition in July last year, seeking direction to the state government to designate him as the LoP.

The former Chief Minister said YSRCP would vehemently oppose the privatisation of medical colleges, and he would also take part in the protests.

Stating that the privatisation move will be opposed tooth and nail, he said they would join hands with all like-minded people and organisations to force the government to roll back the decision, and if they still go ahead with the decision, it will be reversed after YSRCP comes to office.

Referring to the ‘Super Six Super Hit’ celebration of the ruling coalition, he described it as ‘Super Flop’. He alleged that the government did not fulfil poll promises. He accused Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu of cheating people. Farmers became victims of his greed, and medical and health officials have become sick with his corrupt practices, he said, and asked who pocketed the Rs 2 lakh crore loans raised by the government.

Jagan Mohan Reddy questioned why farmers are facing the problem of urea and other fertilisers now like never before, and are standing in serpentine queues to buy urea. “The answer is simple, he lacks sincerity, while in our term, we cared for the farmers, who had set up RBKs, which served as a one-stop solution to farmers' needs. The allotted urea is being diverted by TDP cadre and middlemen and sold at double the rate, and no crop is getting MSP. We had set up a Rs 3,000 crore Price Stabilisation Fund and came to the rescue of farmers whenever there were price fluctuations. Now, Chandrababu and his coterie are involved in a Rs 200 to 300 crore scam at the cost of farmers’ interest,” he said.

He claimed that the YSRCP government planned to set up one medical college in every district and initiated the process of setting up 17 medical colleges, of which five were functional and five others were near completion, with all permissions and land acquisitions in place, along with financial aid. “We planned them in 50 acres for Rs 500 crore. Chandrababu has declined the sanction of medical seats to Pulivendula with a vindictive attitude and is now giving away medical colleges on a platter to private players for kickbacks, and we will fight this tooth and nail. This move will badly affect the healthcare system as private hospitals will exploit the poor,” the YSRCP chief said.

- IANS