TDP leader Lokesh promises to establish Islamic bank in Andhra

Tirupati, Feb 21:  TDP national General Secretary Nara Lokesh on Tuesday promised to establish an Islamic bank once the party forms the government in Andhra Pradesh again.

After a two-day pause, Lokesh began his pada yatra 'Yuva Galam' and interacted with the representatives of the Muslim community at Sri Kalahasthi of Tirupati district.

"I am promising you that once the TDP forms the government again this Islamic bank will be established," he said, noting how Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, during his padyatra, had promised to set up Islamic bank but he did not keep his word.

Lokesh recalled the formation of the Minorities Corporation by N. T. Rama Rao, the founder of the TDP. "Despite the change in the government for the past several years, the corporation continued but after Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy became the Chief Minister, he discontinued it," he said.

He assured the minority community that the corporation would be revived once his TDP is back in power.

He alleged that Jagan Mohan Reddy discontinued all the welfare schemes launched by Chandrababu Naidu during the TDP regime and promised to revive all the schemes.

As the 'Yuva Galam' completed 300 km at Thondamanupuram panchayat in Srikalahasti Assembly segment, Lokesh assured the villagers to provide safe drinking water within 100 days of coming back to power.

Later, at Thindamanadu village, he said that the cheap liquor is now working as pesticide and the farmers instead of the pesticides can use the cheap liquor. He also interacted with women who came to collect their gas cylinders. He said that the subsidy on gas cylinders is not being paid to the consumers.

He also promised to do justice to communities like Gandla, Telikula and Deva Telikula once the TDP is back into the government.

During his padyatra, Lokesh met the groundnut farmers who narrated their problems to him. Farmer, Venkat Reddy, said that for the past three years they have been incurring heavy losses in agriculture and the state government is not coming to their rescue.

Another farmer told Lokesh that due to spurious seeds and fertilisers, the farming community in the district has been facing several problems. They also said that there is no MSP for the farm products due to which they are incurring huge losses in agriculture.