Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy seems to have given a golden opportunity for the opposition parties to reach out to the people. He increased the power tariff, which is an emotional issue and would help the opposition parties to make use of the peoples’ emotions.
The TDP has already launched protests in the state. While TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu had issued a statement, its general secretary Nara Lokesh is already on the streets. He is carrying lanterns and candles and going to the people criticising the government for power tariff increase.
Interestingly, Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan too had issued a statement condemning the power tariff increase. He is busy with his films schedule and wants to complete all the schedules before the bell rings for the 2024 elections. However, his deputy and Jana Sena political affairs committee chairman, Nadendla Manohar, is on the streets. He led a protest in Rajamahendravaram on Friday against the tariff hike.
The Left parties and the Congress, whose identity in the state is at stake, have also jumped into the war field to take maximum advantage of the power tariff hike. Though the state government justified the hike, as usual, the opposition parties are on the roads asking the government to roll back.
Meanwhile, the ruling party leaders are also justifying the hike but are finding fault with the TDP for its protest on power tariff hike. They are also advising Jana Sena chief to study history on the power reforms in the state and wonder what Pawan Kalyan did when Naidu’s TDP government increased power tariff in 2016.
The YSR Congress leaders also recalled the Basheerbagh police firings during the TDP regime on the protesters. It was the protest against the power reforms and tariff hike by the Left parties and the Congress in the year 2000, when Chandrababu Naidu was the chief minister. Four persons were killed in the police firing while dozens of the people were injured when police caned them.
The incident came handy for the Congress to come back to power in the 2004 elections, besides the historic padayatra of Dr Y S Rajasekhar Reddy in 2003.
It is now to be seen how far the TDP would be able to take the issue to the people and win their hearts and votes in the elections scheduled for 2024!
