Isn't It Risky To Celebrate Jagan Padayatra Now?

[Anta Assamey]

The call given by YSR Congress party leadership to the party cadres to celebrate the completion of three years of commencement of party president and chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy’s padayatra on Friday has kicked up a big debate in the political circles.

YSRC leaders are justifying the celebration stating that the padayatra was a landmark in the political history of the state as it catapulted Jagan to power with an unprecedented mandate from the people. 

The celebration is also an occasion to remind the people that Jagan has been implementing every promise that he had made during the padayatra in the last one and a half years of his rule.

The grievances that the people had poured in during his padayatra are now being addressed by Jagan one after the other, say the YSRC leaders.

While the argument of the YSRC leaders for celebration may be justified, but what they have forgotten is that this is not the right time for celebration, when the country is going through a serious pandemic of Coronavirus. 

The health experts are warning the people against coming out in large numbers because there is a threat of a second wave of pandemic striking the country as is being witnessed in the Europe and the USA. Even in our country, Delhi is said to be facing the second wave of Covid-19.

So, one wonders how far the celebrations of Jagan’s padayatra by YSRC leaders are justified. Who will be responsible if such mass congregations result in escalation of Coronavirus positive cases? This has to be answered.

The Jagan government has also come under criticism from various quarters for reopening of schools from November 2, though almost all the other states in the country, including neighbouring Telangana, are scared of opening the schools for students due to prevailing pandemic conditions.

However, state education minister Adimulapu Suresh and his officials are defending the decision saying it was only to extend education to poor students, who are lagging behind the private school students having access to online education.

But the problem is that the number of cases among teachers and students has been alarmingly growing after the reopening of schools. If primary schools are reopened in a few weeks, there is a possibility of further increase in the number of cases.

Well, there are critics for every decision. Some critics in the media are suspecting that Jagan is deliberately taking decisions like celebration of his three-year old padayatra and reopening of schools. 

They say if the number of cases go up alarmingly in the next few days, the government can show it as an excuse to prevent state election commissioner Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar from going ahead with the local body elections.

That is height of criticism!