Ajay Kumar Puvvada during campaigning in Khammam. (News18)
In an interview to News18, Ajay Kumar Puvvada rubbished the Opposition’s charge that the party was favouring people close to the local MLA when handing out welfare schemes
Telangana transport minister Ajay Kumar Puvvada is all set to clash with former BRS minister of roads and buildings Thummala Nageswara Rao in the constituency. After a day of intense campaigning where he tells people about the development work he did in Khammam, the minister asserts in an interview that all welfare schemes are reaching beneficiaries. He adds that he does not believe in casteism as all castes vote for him.
Edited Excerpts:
The main complaint that we have been hearing from the ground is that BRS welfare schemes are not reaching beneficiaries. The party is allegedly favouring people who are close to the local MLA. What would you say about that?
I will reply with the example of Rythu Bandhu. It is the largest welfare scheme for farmers. Irrespective of the interference of any MLA, all farmers, even those having 0.1 gunta land, are getting Rs 10,000 per acre every year. It gets credited to their bank accounts directly. Pensions for the elderly, widows and other groups are reaching them without any interference. For example, in Kalyana Lakshmi and Shadi Mubarak schemes, the women get married and get the benefits automatically.
BRS is the first government which has removed the interference of MLAs and ministers. All the processes are online and that’s why there is no interference. Schemes like 2BHK housing are allotted on lottery basis.
Schemes like Dalit Bandhu and BC Bandhu are monitored by district collectors. Therefore, the ministers do not have any role to play here. The opposition’s allegations are baseless.
You and your Congress opponent, Tummala Nageshwara Rao, both belong to Kamma caste, isn’t it?
I do not believe in casteism. Once you become an elected representative, caste does not matter. When I win, all castes vote for me. I do not believe that one caste can determine the politics in a place.
But when your name came up in the case of a BJP worker’s suicide last year, you had reportedly asked for support in the name of caste. Is that true?
No, I did not ask for support from people of my caste. I had no role in that case. There were so many enquiries and after intervention by the high court, it was found that all allegations against me were false. Conspiracies take place when you are in power. When you are in power, the Opposition will try to divert the minds of voters. My concentration is only on development of my constituency.
Do people vote differently here because Khammam shares a border with Andhra Pradesh and many of them are settlers from that state?
After a decade of bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, I do not think people will vote for issues from the neighbouring state. We share borders with Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh too. Their politics do not have any impact on the voting patterns here. It is a false notion that TDP has an influence here.
When you won against Thummala Nageswara Rao last time, you were in Congress. This time, you are in BRS and he is in Congress. Since Khammam is known to be a Congress stronghold, do you think a Congress ticket gives an edge?
The parties do not matter in Khammam. The voters are shrewd and politically conscious. There is no system of party vote bank here. When I won from Congress in 2014, the party lost despite granting statehood. It was not the Congress factor that made me win the seat. I have a lot of goodwill here due to my father’s services as MLA and MLC from the communist party. Before joining politics, I was engaged in many philanthropic activities. So it would not have made much difference if I contested from the pink party.
