Old habits die hard. This is true for Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, chief of the YSR Congress Party, and his followers.
Over the years, thanks to his mass-contact programmes, Jagan, whose party won the Andhra Pradesh Assembly election last week, developed a peculiar way of connecting with the crowds. It was no different on Thursday, when Jagan got onto the stage as chief minister designate. After he was sworn in as chief minister, Jagan started his speech by continuously tapping the mic, sending the crowd into a frenzy. Throughout his campaign, this was how Jagan used to start his speeches.
During his swearing-in, whenever Jagan took his name as part of the oath, the crowd let out a huge cry.
Again, his admirers are quite used to seeing Jagan taking his name whenever he made a promise or assurance during public meetings. In a move akin to his father, late chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, who signed on a file after taking oath in 2004, Jagan gave his consent with a pen on stage, enhancing the old age pension to Rs 2,250, from the existing sum of Rs 2,000. In a charged speech, Jagan said he will increase the pension to Rs 3,000 in next four years.
The most important announcement of the day came in the form of promises of employment. The new chief minister promised 4 lakh jobs by August 15. The village volunteers, who will be hired with a salary of Rs 5,000 per month, will be tasked with ensuring that state government schemes reach every targeted household. This way, a job will be created for every 50 houses in a village, he said. Around 1.4 lakhs jobs will be added with establishment of village secretariats in the near future, Jagan added.
'Navarathnalu, his nine pet schemes, will be door delivered through an effective monitoring mechanism, Jagan assured to a jam-packed audience at the Indira Gandhi Municipal stadium in the state capital Vijaywada.
“I will treat the (YSRCP) manifesto like Quran, Bible and Bhagwad Gita,” Jagan said.
Promising corruption-free governance, Jagan spelled out his vision on how the tendering process and awarding of contracts will be transparent and assisted by a judicial commission. By August 15, the YSRCP government plans to have a helpline attached to the Chief Minister’s Office, where anyone can call and complain about corruption around them or if they are unable to benefit from state government schemes.
Jagan also directly warned pro-TDP media outlets that biased 'agenda reporting' by them will not be tolerated as fabricated news items will be challenged with court cases. In his speech, Jagan also said that within one year, he will “cleanse” the existing system.
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Earlier, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan administered the oath of office to Jagan. Two powerful leaders from south India, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and DMK president M.K. Stalin attended the swearing-in.
The bonhomie between Rao and Jagan was evident throughout the ceremony. During his address, Rao said that he is confident that the chief ministers of the two neighbouring states will work together to resolve Godavari and Krishna river water issues, so that people of both the states benefit.
Jagan’s political opponents, former chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and actor-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan, gave the event a miss.