Since long time YSRCP MLAs feel left out in disbursal of welfare benefits in Andhra Pradesh and the impact of ‘Mission 175’ is created ripples in the legislators community. The effect is quite visible in the politics and cadre is quite enthusiastic over Jagan’s call to win 2024 elections.
Every legislator of the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) in Andhra Pradesh is aspiring to get re-elected in 2024. Although YSRC president and Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy has fond hopes that the party would return to power on the strength of his government’s welfare schemes bundled as ‘Nava Ratnas’, the YSRCP legislators are jittery about re-election at the individual level.For, none of them is seen publicly disbursing the benefits under popular welfare schemes in the present system.
The Chief Minister has given priority to implementation of the welfare schemes, claiming that there is absolutely no scope for corruption. The schemes are so structures that there is Chief Minister one the side and just beneficiaries on the other side, with the money getting credited directly to the beneficiaries’ accounts. The whole thing looks if the Chief Minister is giving money directly to the beneficiaries to obviate graft. This is where the legislators are feeling the pinch, because they are nowhere in the picture when it comes to disbursal of welfare schemes.
Thousands of crores of rupees are going into the bank accounts of beneficiaries of welfare schemes before the eyes of the MLAs, but without their direct involvement. During the erstwhile regimes, it was customary to involve local MLAs in the disbursal of welfare benefits to the beneficiaries. This practice gave the MLAs some heft. That is why even establishing a pump to ensure drinking water in a village is done under the aegis of the local MLA. Likewise, pensions for old age people are disbursed by legislators.
Legislators believe that it would benefit them if they are involved in Nava Ratnas too. They are not all that happy at the present arrangement for disbursement of funds relating to various schemes in the presence party cadre at the constituency-level meetings. These legislators feel that their ‘graph’ of performance and image in the public domain has gone down. Despite having the power to decide the list of beneficiaries of various welfare schemes, they rue their ‘non involvement’ in the disbursement exercise.
Votes required for the party’s victory at the hustings are drawn from the individual image or graph of legislators. The rest of the contribution of votes for victory probably comes because of the influence of the government or leadership! Only blending of the images of the legislators and the Chief Minister would lead to the ultimate result.
Thinking of retaining power with only the image of the Chief Minister in the public domain may not be the correct approach, it is felt by legislators.Even if the Chief Minister assures anything to people during his visit to any constituency, that would get fulfilled only at the behest of the local legislator.
If it is proved tomorrow that a seat has been lost because of the low image of the local legislator, the leadership may have to be held responsible for such a loss. Images of both leadership and legislator may together work for success. The contribution of a legislator at the constituency level is essential for success.
Will Jagan lend his ears to the feelings of legislators who are keen on shoring up their individual image in the minds of people? Internal differences among party leaders surfaced recently at constituency-level meetings involving public representatives. Of course, the leadership has gagged public representatives.
Local legislator Perni Venkatramaiah @Nani is a powerful man out there and so is MP Vallapaneni Balasouri, a business partner of Jagan. By virtue of being CM’s ‘own man’, the MP had pressed for stern action. But the leadership turned down his demand. In regional parties, there is no scope for acting against the MLA at the behest of an MP.
An amount of Rs. 1.37 lakh crores of rupees has been disbursed through the accounts of the beneficiaries of various welfare schemes. A total amount of Rs.2.47 lakh crores of rupees will have been credited to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries for the period 2019-24.
Legislators are looking longingly at the huge amounts going to electors without their active involvement. Another source of embarrassment for some of the legislators is the non-clearance of bills relating to party workers who had executed government works on contract basis. Such party workers had mobilized money at high rates of interests from financiers. They chose to avoid their legislators who had come to their streets for campaigning.
Legislators are feeling that they have become useless when it comes to even getting pending bills cleared. The implementation of welfare schemes to every citizen is an herculean task. And legislators are quite hiding faces to answer this question. Several valid administrative reasons may to get revive to get a solution. #hyderabadnews #KhabarLive #hydnews
About The Author
Faraaz Mohammed 
Ahssanuddin Haseeb