Nallamada Cross, Anantapur district: Satyasai and Vincente Ferrer, two great and selfless souls, have served the people of Anantapur, one of the most backward districts in the country, with love and unbound affection. I shudder to think what would have been the fate of this district had they not been there to provide service and succour. The only politician who worked hard to alleviate the lot of this district is without doubt YS Rajasekhara Reddy. Why are the rulers of the day not emulating these great souls? The only reason is lack of commitment and absence of empathy.

Today, I encountered another incident of stark discrimination on political grounds. 67-year-old Rambhoji Naik of Nayanavaripalli in Agraharam panchayat has been denied his old age pension. His daughter-in-law is with the YSRCP. That explains why he does not get pension. When he met the officials, they directed him to the ruling party MLA. Isn’t it sad that even the family of an elected people’s representative is subjected to such discrimination? If this is the fate of the elected people’s representative’s family, imagine what would be the fate of the common man?

A delegation from Russia and Kazakhstan is currently touring Andhra Pradesh to understand the situation in the state. They became curious seeing the many statues of my late father in the villages. They learnt about him and on knowing that I am on my Praja Sankalpa Yatra in this region, they expressed their desire to meet me. They urged that I walk in the footsteps of my father and take up pro-people works in a bigger and more effective way. They evinced a lot of interest in understanding the aims and objectives of my yatra.

I am deeply pained by the molestation of the Dalit woman in Jerripothulapalem of Pendurthi mandal in Visakhapatnam district. The perpetrators need to be punished regardless of which party they belong to. The Chief Minister, who has a duty to protect the honour and life of every citizen in the state, should have initiated tough measures to bring the culprits to book. But, he is silent. Isn’t this a tacit backing of the perpetrators of this heinous crime? If only action was taken against the perpetrators who attacked woman Tehsildar Vanajakshi for opposing illegal sand quarrying, such incidents would not have recurred. Had action been taken against those responsible for Rishiteswari’s death, atrocities on women would have come down significantly. Such attacks on women are unpardonable and need to be dealt with in the sternest manner possible.

Finally, here’s my question to the Chief Minister!! You have been poaching YSRCP leaders through allurements and threats. Are you not doing the same to overpower the masses by threatening to cancel the welfare benefits if they did not toe your line? Is it not a fact that your callous approach and nepotism are responsible for the rising crimes against women in the state?