All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday announced that the Congress, if voted to power in Andhra Pradesh in the coming assembly elections, would extend financial assistance of ₹5,000 per month to every poor household in the state.

Kickstarting the party’s election campaign at a public rally – Nyaya Sadhana Sabha (meeting to achieve justice to the people) – at Anantapur town, Kharge said the guarantee, which was named as “Indiramma Abhayam,” would be implemented in letter and spirit.

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“I have come here not to appease rich and mighty. I am here to announce a new scheme for the poor people of Andhra Pradesh and give them a guarantee in the coming elections for their upliftment,” the AICC chief said.

Stating that if the Congress gives a guarantee, it will definitely implement it, he said the Indiramma Abhayam scheme would have a long-lasting imprint in the hearts of the people. “We shall implement the scheme whole-heartedly,” he said.

The AICC chief also announced that if the Congress was voted to power, PCC president YS Sharmila would become the chief minister. “Andhra Pradesh had produced the most popular leader like YS Rajasekhar Reddy, who made the entire country proud with his welfare schemes. His daughter is now heading the State Congress. One day or the other, she will become the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh,” he said.

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He alleged that Andhra Pradesh was meted out injustice for the last 10 years, as both the Telugu Desam Party and the YSR Congress party had failed to get any funds for the development of the state.

Lashing out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kharge said not a single day passed without the Prime Minister taking the name of the Congress and hurling abuses at Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. “He says there is no Congress in the country. Why is then he destabilising the Congress governments and poaching our party MLAs?” he asked.

He said Modi was a big threat to the Indian Constitution and democracy.

“He has become a tyrant and is creating a panicky atmosphere in the country. He claims the country has developed only after he became the Prime Minister. This is ridiculous,” Kharge said.

The AICC chief said the Prime Minister had conveniently ignored granting special category status to AP and neglected Polavaram project. “Unfortunately, neither the TDP nor the YSRCP had the guts to question Modi,” the Congress criticised.