Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu launched his campaign for the next elections with a slew of populist promises offering goodies to different sections. Addressing a huge public meeting, marking the conclusion of his 117-day-long Mee Kosam Yatra (For You Yatra) at Anantapur on Friday evening, Naidu promised 13-hour-free electricity supply to farmers, against the supply of seven hours now.
For prospective brides, he promised free Mangal Sutra, for women below poverty line, he offered free LPG cylinders and for unemployed youth Rs 1000.
For boys and girls studying in high school, he promised to revive the free cycle scheme. His show of concern for farmers and small artisans reflected in the promise to write off their debts and fresh loan at a very low interest rate of 1%.
Naidu's hour-long speech was also replete with attractive promises to different castes. He announced that the TDP was committed to the categorization of scheduled caste in to the four categories in proportion to their population so every caste gets a due share in the reservation benefits. He also promised to give SC status to the Dalits converted to Christianity.
Describing backward classes as the backbone of the TDP, Naidu said of the 294- assembly seats, 100 will go to the BCs. To the tribals, he promised every hamlet with a population of 500 will be given the status of a panchayat and tribal people will be provided better health care facilities and basic amenities.
Naidu promised that the children of poor forward classes families will be provided free education up to high school. He promised reservation for the Muslim minority in the local bodies on the lines of reservations for the BCs.
To the women concerned over the worsening socio-economic conditions because of free flow of liquor, he announced that as soon as the TDP returns to power, it will scrap the cheap liquor shops in rural areas.
In a bid to change his image from IT-focused and hi-tech politician to a sensitive and pro-poor person, Naidu announced that the party was setting up a six-member manifesto committee headed by Y Ramakrishnudu to incorporate all the promises he made during the Mee Kosam Yatra across the state.
Naidu promised that the TDP government would give an interim relief of 40% to the government employees and free house site.
He did not make any reference to the proposed entry of Telugu film star Chiranjeevi in to politics and launching of his party.
The Mee Kosam had begun from a Dalit colony in Chandragiri near Tirupati on April 21. As Naidu's bandwagon rolled on from district to district, the yatra evoked a lot of enthusiastic response. He covered 425 mandals in 23 districts and addressed more than 3000 road side and public meetings.