The ruling parties are levying taxes on fuel, she claims, and demanding that it be brought under the GST
Former union minister Panabaka Lakshmi has broken new ground to attract voters’ attention during her campaign for the by-election of Tirupati Lok Sabha in the village of Manubolu, Nellore district, which consists of four sections of Sarvepalli, Gudur, Sullurpet and Venkatagiri.
The TDP candidate made tea herself, distributed it to a group of voters, and spoke to them about how to manage their household expenses.
She also made hot ‘Mirapakaya Bajji’, the most popular snack in these areas, and tried to drive home that “the ruling BJP in the center and the YSRCP in the state are making common people’s lives miserable”.
As she served hot tea, the assembled congregation replied that it was difficult to make ends meet after not only gasoline and diesel but also cooking oil soared.
The former Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister of State told them that the BJP-led government in the center and the YSRCP government in the state are competing to impose a heavy tax on fuel.
“This approach is responsible for the rise in prices of all essential goods,” said Ms. Lakshmi.
Ms. Lakshmi was accompanied by former minister Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy during the election campaign.
Fuel should be brought under goods and services tax (GST) if it should be available at a reasonable price, she said late during an interaction with a group of bus passengers who had chosen to use public transportation instead of their motorcycles .
The congregation nodded in agreement and also referred to the cooking gas, which was now out of reach.
“The government-sponsored subsidy has been stopped by the BJP-led government at the center,” Ms. Lakshmi said, recalling that as Union minister she had done her best to ensure the supply of cooking gas to all BPL women with the center carry huge subsidies. The aim was to put an end to the respiratory illnesses associated with using firewood for cooking.
“Privatization frenzy”
Ms. Lakshmi searched for holes in the BJP government’s privatization policy, saying that the reservation of the proposed castes and tribes would become irrelevant as the PSU’s “indiscriminate privatization frenzy” was only intended to benefit firms.
She said the TDP had formed state-level committees to allay fears among voters, who were allegedly threatened by the village / community volunteers, that if they did not vote for the ruling party, they would lose the benefits of welfare systems.
The electoral commission should create a supportive atmosphere at the grassroots level in which people can vote without fear or favor. “By intimidation, the YSRCP could win the recent local elections,” she said.