Rival parties engage in blame game on pensions

Vijayawada: Delay in distribution of pensions turned into a hot topic in election campaign as the ruling YSRCP started blaming TDP for the delay while the TDP accusing the government of diverting funds resulting in delay in distribution of pensions. As the YSRCP intensified the campaign blaming TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu for delay in pensions, Naidu wrote a letter to Election Commission of India asking it to direct the state government to distribute pensions at doorstep without any delay.

The YSRCP alleged that a pensioner K Venkat Rao (70) of Turangi village of Kakinada rural mandal died of heart attack while proceeding to village secretariat as his pension was delayed. Former minister Kurasala Kannababu brought the incident to the notice of Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, who announced Rs 5 lakh ex gratia to the family of the deceased. Kannababu blaming Chandrababu Naidu for delay in distribution of pension said that pensioners are suffering due to TDP chief’s actions for political mileage.

Meanwhile, minister Dharmana Prasada Rao alleged that delay in pension distribution is nothing but a conspiracy on the part of Naidu and his batch. Addressing a Rajaka community meeting in Srikakulam district on Tuesday, Prasada Rao said that pensioners, including old age people, handicapped, widows, single women and kidney patients are suffering due to delay in distribution. He said that Chandrababu has been against volunteer system for the past five years and if he comes to power, people will suffer.

Caught in the pension delay storm, TDP chief complained to Election Commission that the state government was wantonly delaying pension distribution to threw the blame on TDP to gain political mileage.

In his letter, Naidu said that Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP) CEO D Muralidhar Reddy stated that it is not possible to make arrangements for pension distribution at the doorstep. He said the CEO is relative of finance minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy and an accused in Jagan Mohan Reddy CBI cases.

Chandrababu said as the pensions are to walk for 4 to 5 km to receive pensions in some cases during the present adverse summer weather conditions and soaring temperature, the ECI to issue orders to chief secretary to distribute pensions at door step.