When situation demands or when the decisions are taken in haste, a step forward is not wrong. It is rather a step towards victory.
AP chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy should think on these lines, at least in one or two cases right now, as he had already taken several steps backward on some key issues.
He took a backward step on abolition of Legislative Council, which was a hasty decision. He also took a backward step on his three capitals issue. He is taking several steps backward on his total prohibition plan.
It is now time for him to take a step backward on the PRC issues connected with the government employees.
He must give a patient hearing to the agitating employees and this is a must if one goes by the whipping victory of the employees rally in Vijayawada, the other day.
He must give access to at least the top leaders of the employees and listen to them what they have to say. He has been listening to the officials on the issue so far. Why not to the employees at least once, to resolve the conflict?
People are also holding protests on the unscientific creation of new districts in the state. The chief minister had taken the Parliament and Assembly constituencies as basis for creation of new districts.
The Assembly and Parliament constituencies keep changing in every delimitation and they can’t give scientific basis for creation of new districts.
There was Tenali Lok Sabha constituency in the past and it disappeared now. The Avanigadda Assembly constituency in Krishna district was in Tenali Lok Sabha constituency.
Had districts reorganisation was done on the basis of these constituencies, what scientific exercise that would have been?
Markapur in Prakasam district has the strong potential to be the district headquarters, but it had lost its identity now, which exposes unscientific work.
It is time, Jagan Mohan Reddy give access to people, not just the officials at his daily review meetings. He should start listening to others beyond his bureaucrats at his review meetings.
The employees protest on wages and the peoples protest on new districts, are the two issues that demand Jagan Mohan Reddy’s attention and his eyes and ears. He should listen to the people concerned, not just bureaucrats.
The big question is the lack of access for cross sections of people with the chief minister and it is the chief minister who has to change.
