AP Panchayat Elections 2021: Get ready for fearless battle against YSRCP, TDP chief tells partymen

AP Panchayat Elections 2021: TDP national president and former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday gave a call to the people and the party cadres to get ready for a fearless battle against the YSRCP's ulterior and oppressive plans in the ongoing panchayat elections.

Naidu urged the cadre to block the unanimous elections under any circumstances so as to prevent the villages from falling into the iron like grip of the ruling party goondas and rowdies. The contestants should fight bravely and should not surrender to the suppressive tactics of the YSRCP leaders. Nobody should be afraid of the bind over cases and the kidnappings.

In a teleconference with the party leaders on the first phase polls, the TDP chief asserted that this was the only opportunity to bring back normalcy in the rural areas and also to aim at bringing development in future. Because of the YSRCP miscreants so far, every village was plunged into gloom with the local residents being forced to suffer endlessly. The victory of the YSRCP leaders would turn villages into burial grounds, he cautioned.

Naidu appealed to people to elect efficient leaders supported by the TDP as sarpanches. The real Grama Swaraj as envisaged by the freedom fighters would come only when the TDP supported candidates would win the panchayat elections. Only they would be able to confront and stop the atrocious activities of the ruling party. Till now, 50 per cent nominations were filed and there was a lot of enthusiasm among the people to fight against the ruling party oppression.

Stating that the present elections should be seen as a big test to the leadership at the village-level, Naidu said that future leaders would emerge from the panchayats alone. There were many leaders who rose from sarpanches and went on to become the MLAs and also MPs. It would be the sarpanch alone who would preside over the Grama Sabha in a village. Sarpanch will be the first person in a village, he pointed out.

The TDP chief asserted that the YSRCP had destroyed villages by cancelling all the developmental programmes. It has cancelled the 'Neeru Pragathi', 'Panta Sanjeevini', 'Vanam Manam', 'Polam Pilustondi' and water management programmes. The villages that were aglow with greenery during the TDP regime turned colourless and lifeless. The YSRCP govt's violence and destruction has badly hit the people. Attacks were being committed on the BC, SC, ST and Muslim Minorities. Women were not safe as they were becoming victims of atrocities.

Naidu said that every year, each village panchayat would get Rs 1 crore funds directly from the Central government and from various sources. With this, each sarpanch would be able to bring in a lot of development in his or her village in the next five years.

The panchayats in AP would get Rs 9,975 crore NREGS funds each year and also Rs 2,625 crore 15th Finance Commission funds. Also, they would get Rs 350 crore stamp duty funds, Rs 300 crore mining cess, Rs 750 crore house tax and other taxes.