Several YSRCP leaders, including some Mandal Praja Parishad (MPPs) presidents, joined the TDP in the presence of TDP general secretary, Nara Lokesh, on Tuesday.
At the Peluru campsite, the MPP from Yeleswaram, Gollapalli Narasimha Murthy, and the Rowthulapudi MPP, Gantimalla Rajya Lakshmi, the MPTC from Bhadravaram, Koppula Babji, the sarpanch of Turpu Lakshmipuram, Veera Reddy, along with several others joined the TDP in the presence of Lokesh. The TDP national general secretary asked them to see to it that the party will emerge victorious in the coming elections.
All those who joined the TDP expressed confidence that the party will certainly come to power in the next elections. Party senior leader, Jyothula Nehru, and local TDP leaders were present.
Later, during his Yuva Galam pada yatra aqua farmers from Dr BR Ambedkar Konaseema district met Lokesh at the Kshatriya Kalyana Mandapam and in a memorandum submitted to him said that they are not getting MSP for the aqua products. Lokesh promised to come to the rescue of the aqua farmers once the TDP is back in power. He said that Chief Minister, Jagan Mohan Reddy, totally destroyed the aqua farming in the State by withdrawing several subsidies that were available to them during the TDP regime.
As the pada yatra entered Amalapuram, the locals gave a rousing reception to Lokesh while the local women complained to him about the skyrocketing prices of essentials and the highest power charges in the State due to which their lives were turning horrible. Lokesh promised them to bring down the prices immediately after the TDP is back in power.
At the Clock-Tower centre handloom workers submitted a memorandum to Lokesh in which they said that the 30 per cent rebate on the sale of handloom clothes that was available during the TDP regime is withdrawn now. Expressing concern that the YSRP Government has completely destabilised the handloom sector, Lokesh said that once the TDP forms the coming government all the subsidies and the rebates will be revived.
At Mummidivaram Gate various differently abled union representatives met Lokesh and made an appeal to him to increase the monthly pension for the physically challenged from Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000 for which Lokesh agreed. They also wanted the Physically Challenged Act-2016 be implemented and houses for them. Lokesh regretted that the Jagan Mohan Reddy Government is ignoring the differently abled persons too and promised to extend all possible help once the TDP is into power again.
The Setti Balija representatives, in a memorandum to Lokesh said that the welfare corporation set up during the TDP rule for their community is now not functioning as the current Government stopped allocation of funds for it. Lokesh assured them that funds will be allocated to the corporation as per their population ratio once the TDP forms the next government.
