Tirupati LS by-poll will be referendum on Jagan's rule

Tirupati: Stating that the YSRCP is ready to take the Tirupati Lok Sabha by-election verdict as a referendum on the performance of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's government, Minister for Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Peddireddi Ramachandra Reddy dared the opposition to follow suit.

Speaking to the media here on Sunday, the Minister said that if his party is defected in the prestigious by-election to Tirupati Lok Sabha constituency, the YSRCP MPs are ready to step down and challenged the main opposition party TDP to tender the resignation of its three MPs along with Raghuramakrishnama Raju, the rebel YSRCP MP opposing the ruling party and dared Naidu to accept his challenge.

Exuding confidence that his party will come out with flying colours in the crucial by-election by winning with a huge margin more than the previous 2019 election, Peddireddy observed, "The excellent services our party rendered in the last 20 months will see us get thumping victory in the Tirupati by-election."

In this connection, he said the Chief Minister's election meeting programme was cancelled due to the surge in Covid cases in Tirupati area.

Keeping in view the safety of the people, the Chief Minister, after taking into account the medical experts and officers' advise dropped his plan to campaign for the party in the election and preferred to appeal to the voters of the constituency through his letter, he explained while refuting the opposition parties attributing various motives to the cancellation of CM's meeting.

The YSRCP senior leader also took strong exception to the leaders of the opposition parties slighting the candidature of party nominee Dr Gurumurthy and also going into personal details like his professional service and added that as the fear of defeat was staring them, the opposition leaders including Chandrababu Naidu and Sunil Deodhar were resorting to cheap tactics in the election campaign.

Making a scathing attack on Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan who he said is the Dattaputra of Naidu, the YSRCP leader observed how could Pawn, who once criticised the BJP as a spoiled laddu sail with the same party now.

Now Pawan Kalyan joined BJP but is tacitly working for TDP, he alleged.

Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Kurasala Kannababu too brushed aside TDP comments on the cancellation of CM Jagan's election tour to Tirupati.

Speaking to the media here on Sunday, he said the Chief Minister's tour was put off only due to the spike in Covid-19 cases but not any other reason, criticising the BJP and TDP leaders' malicious propaganda alleging that the Chief Minister was afraid of electioneering for want of public response.

Claiming that YSRCP will win with a thumping majority, he dared the BJP and TDP leaders on the promises made in AP Reorganisation Act, SCS and also Vizag Steel Plant.