By Matters India Reporter

Secunderabad, June 1, 2019: The Andhra Pradesh Federation of Churches has welcomed a clean government promised by the southern Indian state’s new chief minister.

“We are well pleased of your promise that your government would be revolutionary and would stand as an example and model to the country within a year,” the federation said in a letter addressed to Yeduguri Sandinti Jaganmohan Reddy, who on May 30 took over as Andhra Pradesh’s chief minister

The federation, the apex body of the bishops and heads of mainline Churches and major Christian denominations in the state congratulated Reddy for his “landslide victory” in the recent assembly elections.

Reddy won 151 of the 175 seats in the legislative assembly when the results were announced on May 23. He was sworn in as the chief minister at the Indira Gandhi Municipal Stadium in Vijayawada attended by more than 40,000 people.

“The administration will be cleansed from top to bottom,” Reddy said on the occasion and sought six months to one year to cleanse the system.

Reddy, who took the oath with a copy of the Bible at his side, also said his first signature would be to increase pension of the elderly.

“As a chief minister, I give you one assurance — I am here to listen to you and realize your dreams,” he said.

The Christian federation lauded Reddy for his assurance that he would not allow corruption anywhere and that he would clean up the system, bring about transparency, and pave way for politics of credibility and accountability.

“May God grant you wisdom and discernment, courage and fortitude, generosity and magnanimity, and dedicated service and just rule to realize these promises,” the federation’s letter said.

The Church body pointed out that the decisive mandate Reddy received at the election shows the level of people’s confidence and trust in him and his party.

“Indeed, it is a deserving reward for your credibility and perseverance,” the federation noted and added that the new chief minister has “a huge responsibility to fulfill the hopes, aspirations and expectations of the people, especially of the poor and marginalized, without any fright, hatred, discrimination, favoritism and partiality.”