What young Andhra wants from the new government

VIJAYAWADA: Jobs are at the centre of the debate with elections fast approaching and political parties launching their manifestos.

With students busy with end-semester exams, there is no election buzz on the campus of Andhra Loyola College in Vijayawada. Nonetheless, thanks to social media, they are quite aware of the developments in the political arena and are also vocal about their expectations from the leaders.

“Politicians are advising students to set up paani-puri stalls. That’s not how it works. Every day, I proudly tell my parents I am going to college. Similarly, after I graduate, I want to be able to tell them that I am going to office,” Manjunath, a final year MBA student, tells TNIE.

As many as 4.07 crore people in Andhra Pradesh are set to cast their vote on May 13. Among them are over 8.13 lakh voters in the 18-19 age group, accounting for almost 2% of the electorate.

A group of students, excited to cast their first vote, raised several issues that affected them and voiced what they want from the new government. They rued that not many industries and IT companies were set up in the State.

A question on the capital issue set off giggles among the group. “There are so many memes that pop up on our Instagram feeds, making fun of the State for not having a capital. We want a capital. In Amaravati,” a first-year MBA student, Rayana Kumari, said.

Countering her, another student, Fouziya, argued, “We may not have a capital. But development has not been limited to a particular city or region in the State. We know what happened during the bifurcation. Hyderabad became part of Telanagana and we were left with nothing.”

Sravani, a second-year MBA student who aspires to be a legislator, found fault with the YSRC government for dismissing the previous TDP government’s plan to develop Amaravati as the capital and instead proposing to set up three capitals.

“Vizag is not a small town. It is already developed. Stopping all work that was happening in Amaravati and proposing to develop a city that is already developed is not right,” she opined.

Majority of the students’ wishlist for the new government included jobs and development. While some hoped for YSRC to retain power and shift its focus to developing the State and providing jobs for youth, others wished for TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu to recreate his ‘Hyderabad’ story in Amaravati.

On the welfare front, Sai Swetha felt that the YSRC has done a better job at distributing financial assistance. However, she hoped that once the YSRC comes to power again, it will focus on creating jobs in the State so that youngsters do not have to move to other cities for work.

On the other hand, K Leela Chakradhar opined that welfare schemes were making people lazy. “I support TDP. We have seen how Naidu developed Hyderabad. It is now a major IT hub,” he said.

Another student, Nakula Sahadev, argued why the onus of providing jobs should be on the government. “People should study and find jobs for themselves. It is impossible for the government to provide five crore (reference to population of State) jobs. Even the Central government cannot provide so many jobs.”

Venting his frustration over the current political landscape, Manjunath felt that there was no promising leader in the State.

 “A good leader makes a good party and a good government. YS Rajasekhara Reddy (former Chief Minister) was a doctor and had expertise in agriculture. So, he introduced schemes in the health and agriculture sectors. Naidu is an entrepreneur and an innovator. That helped him develop Hyderabad as an IT hub. But who is YS Jagan Mohan Reddy?” he asked.

While he appreciated the YSRC government for the reforms brought in the education sector, he said more needs to be done for the youth of the State. He also believed that JSP chief Pawan Kalyan would make for a good Opposition leader.

However, UG student Ashok Reddy felt otherwise. “How can Pawan Kalyan rule the State from outside?” he sought to know.

Highlighting the YSRC government’s initiatives, Chatla Ruthwik said Jagan has developed the State from the ground-level. “Naidu, on the other hand, focused only on urban areas.”

Extending complete support to the YSRC president, another student, Suhas Raj said, “Development cannot happen in five years.

Since Jagan has given aid under several welfare schemes in his first tenure, he will hopefully focus on youth, infrastructure and jobs in the next term.”