Why NDA chose Railway Koduru for VB-G RAM G launch

When the Union government decided to launch the Viksit Bharat—Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G), it opted for Andhra Pradesh’s Railway Koduru constituency as the venue. That was a surprise. After all, the scheme’s predecessor, the MGNREGA, was rolled out two decades ago from Anantpur, and it was widely speculated that history would repeat itself.

The choice of Railway Koduru is politically significant. It underscores the coalition dynamics between the TDP and Jana Sena.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Deputy Chief Minister K Pawan Kalyan of the Jana Sena will formally inaugurate the scheme at Mukkavaripalle panchayat in Obulavaripalle mandal of Railway Koduru constituency in Tirupati district on Thursday (July 2).

Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Union Minister Pemmasani Chandrasekhar will also attend the event.

Political choice

When reports first surfaced that the Centre would relaunch the rural employment scheme under its new name, there was widespread speculation that Anantapur would once again host the event.

Also read: Congress calls VB G RAM G another assault on 'fragile fabric of federalism'

Bandlapalle in Anantapur district occupies a special place in the scheme’s history, having hosted the launch of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) on February 2, 2006, by the then prime minister, Manmohan Singh, then UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, and then Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy.

Instead, the NDA government chose Railway Koduru, indicating that political considerations may have taken precedence over historical symbolism. Railway Koduru is a town and a Legislative Assembly constituency in the newly reorganised Tirupati district. It’s about 50 km from Tirupati city.

Pawan factor

Pawan Kalyan is said to have played a key role in securing the venue after discussions with Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in New Delhi.

Railway Koduru constituency is represented by Jana Sena MLA Arava Sridhar, while senior TDP leader Mukka Rupananda Reddy serves as its party in-charge. Both leaders were reportedly instrumental in ensuring that Mukkavaripalle was selected for the national launch.

The venue also enables the ruling NDA—of which both TDP and Jana Sena are constituents—to showcase coordination between its two principal partners, with both parties expected to claim political credit for hosting the programme.

Symbolic rollout

The launch comes amid criticism from the Congress and Left parties over the NDA government’s decision to rename MGNREGS as VB-G RAM G.

Also read: Suvendu flexes double-engine muscle, rolls out VB-G Ram G in Bengal

The event assumes added significance because it marks the first major government programme to be held in Railway Koduru constituency after it was merged into Tirupati district from the erstwhile Annamayya district during the recent administrative reorganisation.

District officials have made elaborate arrangements for the event, which is expected to draw between 15,000 and 20,000 people, making it both the national rollout of the renamed scheme and a major political showpiece for the ruling alliance.

The dignitaries are scheduled to arrive by helicopter at a temporary helipad developed near the venue before proceeding to the public meeting.

(This article was originally published in The Federal Andhra Pradesh.)