By S A Ishaqui and Syed Akbar
Hyderabad, Sept 4 :
"Ayana chanipoledu, makosam tappaka vastadu" (He is not dead, he will return for us). This was the immediate reaction of many people after the state government confirmed the death of the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, in a helicopter crash.
Many refused to believe that their leader is no more; it took them some time to recover from the shock and come to terms with the reality. Slogans like "YSR amar rahe," "Pedala pennidi, YSR," and "Badugula aashajeevi, YSR," reverberated all over the state, even as countless admirers and followers put up portraits of Dr Rajasekhar Reddy and black flags at street corners to express their love for their leader.
Every half-a-kilometre of major roads in the state had the typical Andhra tombstone with portraits of a smiling Rajasekhar Reddy in a red turban, and groups of people gathered around to mourn the leader they so obviously love. The portrait with the red turban tells it all. It encapsulated the man - a man of the masses who championed the cause of the farmer and the economically backward, the underprivileged and minorities.
"YSR jaisa aur koi nahi hoga. Garibo ko bohut madad kiya," (There will not be anyone like YSR. He helped the poor a lot) says a taxi driver, unable to control his emotions. Even those who had never met Dr Reddy personally felt a deep sadness and personal loss at his untimely death.
DR Reddy was nicknamed `Kadapa puli', and not without cause as he was quite a fiery and fierce leader, who was not afraid of demonstrating his displeasure or voicing his dissent. This earned him at first grudging, and later, real admiration. But even the people who had backed him as chief minister had underestimated his vision.
He came up with some of the most original and workable social schemes that touched many households that were socially and economically backward.
DR Reddy endeared himself to various sections of society.
"He is the first chief minister who has really done something concrete for Muslims in the last 60 years. He gave benefits to the community directly,"
says Mr Shaik Yakub Hussain, as he drives his autorickshaw that was financed through the AP Minorities Finance Corporation.
As a chief minister he was eager to turn Andhra Pradesh into a well developed state. If there was any leader in the state after N.T.
Rama Rao whose death has shocked the people so much, it's YSR's. In fact, YSR surpassed NTR in initiating populist schemes and development programmes. But, unlike NTR, Dr Reddy had no filmi charisma. He came up from the bottom of the political ladder entirely by his own efforts.
He was the only Congress chief minister of the state to have completed five years in office without any sign of dissidence. He also initiated many schemes for the uplift of the downtrodden and neglected segments of society. He was a man with an extraordinary character of coolness, trademark smile and devotion to God.
"Oka illu ichchadu, kadupu ninda bhojanam pettadu and pillala chaduvulakudabbu ichchadu. Rogavaste vaidyam cheinchadu," said Bhanothula Pulamma, one of the beneficiaries of the Indiramma scheme on the outskirts of the city. Dr Reddy's schemes centred around roti (Rs 2 a kg rice scheme), pani (irrigationJalayagnam), makaan (Indiramma housing), kaam (guaranteed employment), taleem (education-fee reimbursement), and sehat (health under Aarogyasri).
Dr Reddy took decisions that his predecessors dared not take. The Jalayagnam programme, reservations for Muslims, Arogyasri, fee waiver scheme for the underprivileged, Rs 2/kg rice scheme, free power to farmers and low interest rate for women's groups were unique welfare schemes that turned the fortunes of millions of families.
He believed in the Gandhian principle of padayatra to seek redressal of people's grievances. His 150km padayatra in Kurnool district in 1999, and the 1400-km-long padayatra under a scorching summer sun in 2003 catapulted him from a dissident leader to a political hero who cared for the have-nots. After these padayatras he was confident that the people were solidly behind him and he could take criticism in his stride. Even his political opponents vouchsafe that Dr Reddy had "turned soft" after his padayatras.
Affectionately called "Raja" by his close followers, he was a leader of the masses, who spent a lot of time with the people. He created a history of sorts when he surrendered his family's1000-acre of surplus lands to the state government.
His confidante, Mr K.V.P.
Ramachandra Rao, says that "Raja never deviated once he took a policy stand.
It was sometimes difficult for us to convince officials to do it if rules had to be bent or there were financial constraints."
He had a firm belief in the rightness of his decisions and was confident about his actions. It was this confidence that compelled him to take up Rs 60,000 crore worth of irrigation projects, even when the state exchequer was empty. His confidence-instilling words "beg, borrow or steal" have subsequently become a political trademark.
YSR's often used to say, "My mission is to make Andhra Pradesh the Annapurna of India and the IT hub of the world." Unfortunately, he left before his mission could be accomplished.
Though his many well wishers wished him a long life, Dr Reddy had said back in 2004: "I will not continue in politics after I complete 60 years." It may have been a political statement, but it has unfortunately come true.
"Raja never devi ated once he took a s e policy stand. It was sometimes difficult - for us to convince t officials to do , it if rules had to be bent or there were financial con. straints." K.V.P. Ramachandra Rao t Dr Reddy's confidante
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