In a series of tweets on Tuesday, TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh said in the one year rule of YSRCP, Dalit rights have been abused with impunity.
The biggest achievement of the past one year rule of the YSRCP governance was the growing attacks on Dalits, constitutional bodies, the collapse of democratic institutions, the rise of autocratic rule, fuelled by vendetta politics, Lokesh tweeted. Activists who speak of injustices are jailed. Dr Sudhakar Rao who spoke against the government over shortage of medical equipment was beaten, dragged on the streets, arrested, illegal confined in a mental asylum. The Dalit doctor who had asked for an N-95 mask was treated like a terrorist and the YSRCP government should explain why the doctor was being threatened, Lokesh tweeted. Further, Lokesh said the state government has victimised Andhra University professor P Premanand by subjecting him to caste discrimination and had been constantly harassed and insulted just because he is a Dalit.
On the death of Kanakaraju who succumbed to the exposure of styrene gas leak from LG Polymers in Vizag’s Venkatapuram, Lokesh said it is a murder by the state. Lokesh attributed the latest death to clear cut negligence and gross failure on the part of the state government to effecitvely monitor the health of villagers as was advised by several research agencies. Days after being discharged from hospital, Kanakaraju’s condition deteriorated and died on Tuesday. It may be recalled that 13 people, including two children, died when the styrene vapour leaked from the LG Polymers plant at RR Venkatapuram in Vizag on May 7. Hundreds of people from five nearby villages surrounding LG Polymers fell ill after inhaling the toxic styrene gas. Lokesh the death of Kankaraju clearly underlined the long-term and acute ill-effects of the gas leak and advised the Jagan government to conduct regular monitoring of the villagers. “The death of Kanakaraju is murder by the state. The government had clearly overlooked the need to give long-term medical treatment to the villagers. In a tearing hurry, victims of gas leak were discharged from the hospitals and were asked to go to their respective villages and left to fend for themselves. The state government instead of looking after the welfare of the victims of gas leak has sided with LG Polymers company,” Lokesh tweeted.
The YSRCP ruling under Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy has indeed worked hard to undo Andhra Pradesh in as many ways as possible. The state economy is on a wobble thanks to 1 year of policy paralysis. Further, Lokesh said Andhra Pradesh had lost major investments due to the unsavory decisions taken by the Jaganmohan Reddy’s government. With Jagan’s reverse tendering policies Andhra Pradesh has slipped into investment unfriendly state with major investors backing out of the projects entered into with the previous TDP government. Jobs are down, no employment was generated as no fresh investments were attraced into Andhra Pradesh.