If YSR Congress party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy has his way, there is every chance that the words “Prime Minister” will be incorporated in his latest populist scheme “YSR Rythu Bharosa” to be launched from October 15.
Under this scheme, the state government will make a direct cash transfer of Rs 12,500 per year into the account of every farmer towards crop investment support.
According to reports in a section of media, Jagan, who is meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi today, is expected to take the latter’s consent for incorporating the words “PM” in YSR Rythu Bharosa scheme.
Depending on the consent, the exact name of the scheme will be finalised. Jagan will also invite Modi to launch the scheme in Andhra Pradesh.
The YSRC president’s decision is believed to be a strategic move to appease the BJP national leadership and also to silence the local BJP leaders who are opposing the naming of scheme after YSR.
BJP state president Kanna Lakshminarayana said out of Rs 12,500 under YSR Rythu Bharosa, out of Rs 12,500 to be paid to each farmer, Rs 6,000 comes from the Centre under Prime Minister Kisan Yojana unveiled by Modi before the elections.
He demanded that Jagan should name the scheme after Narendra Modi and opposed any attempt to project the Central scheme as the state scheme.
If PM gives his consent for renaming of the scheme and agrees to inaugurate the programme, it will be a big boost to Jagan as there is a talk that the BJP is going aggressively against his government to indirectly benefit the TDP.
If Jagan can improve the relations with the Centre, it will be a big trouble to the TDP in the coming days!