The much-publicised meeting between Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu and the YSR Congress party MLAs on Friday was on expected lines: both the sides sought to use the opportunity to gain political mileage.
The YSR Congress party MLAs claimed that they had forced the chief minister to admit that the constituency development funds in their constituencies were being routed through ruling Telugu Desam Party leaders, instead of through local MLAs as per rules.
On the other hand, Naidu camp claimed that he had rebutted their allegations saying the government was ensuring that the constituency development funds were being spent properly and it was not important how the funds were being routed.
In fact, Naidu told the MLAs that the people had voted for the TDP not seeing the face of YSR Congress party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy.
“Whether the constituencies are represented by the TDP or the YSRC, my government will take up the developmental works uniformly. It is irrelevant how the funds are routed to the constituencies,” he said.
In fact, no government would like to give political advantage to the Opposition party MLAs by taking up developmental works through them. It would naturally route the funds through the local ruling party leaders, so that it would get the political mileage in the next elections.
However, the YSRC MLAs are now planning to use Naidu’s indifference towards the Opposition, to gain the political mileage. They want to convey to the people of their constituencies that Naidu was denying them funds to take up any works and that the funds meant for constituencies were being swindled by the local TDP leaders.
“Naidu is taking revenge on the people for not voting for the TDP in the last elections,” they say.
