Nallajerla: Parties play politics over pensioners' death

Nallajerla (East Godavari dist) : The delay in distribution of social pensions has now become a major political issue with the ruling party YSRCP and the main opposition TDP accusing each other of being responsible for the death of about 30 pensioners. TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday demanded that Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy should resign taking responsibility for the death of the pensioners. The Chief Minister said that the pensions could not be given in time as TDP and the former state election commissioner Nimmagadda Prasad had complained to the Election Commission against Volunteers who have been going to the doorstep of the beneficiaries on first of every month to deliver the pension amount.

Naidu said the Election Commission did not say that the pensions should not be distributed at the doorstep but only ordered that the services of the volunteers should not be utilised for this purpose,

He also displayed copies of GO saying that the YSRCP was politicising the deaths of pensioners to cover up its failure. It had issued the GO on March 29 stating that due to financial year ending and bank holidays, pensions in April would be given from April 3. Following the EC order on March 31, it converted it into a street drama and did not distribute the pension money. It was a cover up for its failure of not having funds to give the pension money. It mobilized some loans on April 2 and till then it enacted high drama.

Addressing the media at Nallajerla in East Godavari district, Chandrababu Naidu said that Jagan who utilized the death of his uncle in the last elections was now using the deaths of the pensioners for political gains. He said Jagan has the habit of resorting to cheap politics over the dead, he said.

Naidu said the government swung into action only after he announced that the NDA government would give three months pension in one go soon after coming to power in June. He further said that the NDA alliance had decided to pay Rs 4,000 monthly pension after coming to power and that the dues would be applicable from April 1, 2024. "I will be the eldest son of every house and will distribute the pension directly at your doorstep," he said.

“Cheating and destructive politics is the style of YSRCP, not people’s welfare. Jagan had utilised the death of his own father for his political gains,” the TDP chief said. Naidu said the patent for pensions was that of TDP. It was not Jagan who introduced it. It was introduced by NT Rama Rao, he added.