Andhra Pradesh: Congress’s “Indiramma Abhayam” program guarantees the impoverished Rs 5,000
Mallikarjun Kharge, the president of the AICC, launched the party’s election campaign in Andhra Pradesh on Monday, pledging to provide Rs 5,000 in monthly assistance to qualifying low-income families under the “Indiramma Abhayam” program. “This is a Congress guarantee and will be implemented in toto, unlike Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s guarantee which never materializes,” he said, speaking to a sizable crowd in Anantapur. Compared to five assurances in Karnataka and six in Telangana, this is the largest guarantee offered by the Congress.
Speaking in a mix of Kannada and English with a hint of Hindi thrown in, the octogenarian leader said that Andhra Pradesh, particularly Anantapur, has always been dear to the heart of the Congress and that two of its presidents, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, came from this state. As Chief Minister, Kharge said that Andhra Pradesh had produced a leader of the caliber of YS Rajasekhara Reddy, who set the State on the route to development.
His daughter YS Sharmila Reddy is now in charge of the State Congress. He continued, saying, “She needs your blessings and support. It’s time for Congress in AP to get back on track. He emphasized that no one should undervalue the Congress. Kharge’s speech was mostly devoted to criticizing Modi and his “empty promises.” The AICC chairman harshly criticised the TDP and YSRC, as well as Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sana, for surrendering to the BJP and claiming that these regional parties had, maybe out of fear, promised Modi the interests of the State. He made fun of them, saying, “They are afraid of Modi, not of people of the State.”
A monthly “Indiramma Abhayam” payment of Rs 5,000 would be made in the name of the household’s female member, according to APCC Chief Sharmila. She said, “Believe us, Andhra Pradesh can only grow with the Congress in charge of affairs.”
