Focus on Anganwadi strike, not on illegal arrests: Naidu to Jagan

Mangalagiri: TDP national president and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu alleged that the arrogant attitude of Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy is proved by the fact that he is simply ignoring the 11-day long agitation of the Anganwadis who are on the warpath in support of their demands. “It is really awful that instead of working with commitment to resolve the problems of Anganwadis who are always service-oriented, attempts are made to suppress their agitation as they have come onto the roads for their genuine demands,” he said in a press release on Saturday.

Stating that the TDP regime had given proper recognition for the services of Anganwadi workers and helpers, the former chief minister said that the monthly wages of the Anganwadis were revised in 2014 by Rs 6,300 to take the monthly wages to Rs 10,500 from Rs 4,200. The TDP government extended all the welfare schemes to the Anganwadis without any restrictions, he said and expressed concern that these Anganwadis started facing troubles after the YSRCP came to power.

Neither their wages have been revised in accordance with the increasing prices nor payments are being made to them, Chandrababu said, adding that several conditions are imposed to extend the welfare schemes to them.

The methods adopted by the police and the YSRCP leaders to suppress the agitation of the Anganwadis is really shocking, Chandrababu said and felt that the dictatorial tendency of the ruling party reflects from the fact that the agitating Anganwadis are not even called for talks.

The government is concentrating more on arresting an NRI by going all the way to the Hyderabad airport for simply posting something on social media than on resolving the demands of the agitating Anganwadis, he said.

The police have been deputed to the neighbouring state to arrest an NRI, Yash Bodduluri, who has come to the state to see his ailing mother but no efforts are made to concede the demands of neighbouring Anganwadis, Chandrababu remarked.

This clearly indicates what are the priorities of the Jagan government, Chandrababu said in the press note and demanded immediate measures to resolve the problems of Anganwadis.