ANANTAPUR: AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge kicked off the party’s election campaign in Andhra Pradesh on Monday, promising to provide an aid of Rs 5,000 per month to eligible poor families under ‘Indiramma Abhayam’ scheme. Addressing a huge gathering in Anantapur, he said, “This is Congress guarantee and will be implemented in toto, unlike Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s guarantee which never materialises. This is the biggest guarantee given by the Congress, surpassing five guarantees in Karnataka and six in Telangana.”
The octogenarian leader, who spoke in mixture of Kannada and English, with a spattering of Hindi in between, said Andhra Pradesh, especially Anantapur has always been close to the heart of Congress, and recalled from this State emerged two Presidents -- Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and Neelam Sanjiva Reddy. Kharge said Andhra Pradesh had given a leader like YS Rajasekhara Reddy, who put the State on the path of progress as the Chief Minister.
“Today, his daughter YS Sharmila Reddy is heading the Congress in the State. She needs your blessings and support,” he said and added that it is time for the revival of Congress in AP. Nobody should underestimate the Congress, he stressed. Most of Kharge’s speech focused on criticising Modi and his ‘empty promises’. Coming down heavily on the TDP and YSRC, besides Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sana for falling at the feet of BJP, the AICC chief said these regional parties had pledged the interests of the State to Modi, perhaps out of fear. “They don’t fear people of the State, but are afraid of Modi,” he mocked.
APCC chief Sharmila said ‘Indiramma Abhayam’ of Rs 5,000 per month will be deposited in the name of woman of the household. “Believe us, Andhra Pradesh can only develop with the Congress at the helm of affairs,” she said.