A wild rumour that YSR congress chief YS Jaganmohan reddy, illegal mining baron Mr Gali Janardhan reddy and the Satya Sai Central Trust would transfer their wealth to the post office saving accounts of below poverty line (BPL) families has made thousands of people queue up at the head post office in Kakinada today to open their savings accounts.

The trend started four days ago and till date more than ten thousand people opened their savings accounts by depositing just Rs.50 each. However, there was a huge rush today as thousands turned up for opening their accounts. The post office authorities turned most of them away asking them to come tomorrow as they could not handle the unprecedented rush.

K. Satyavathi of Kakinada town told journalists she came to know through mouth publicity that while Jagan and Gali Janardhan reddy would transfer their wealth at the rate of Rs.50, 000 into each account, the Satya Sai Central Trust would transfer funds at the rate of Rs.1 lakh each.

When contacted, postal authorities said that thousands of people have been actually thronging the sub post offices in the town but the authorities directed them to visit the head post office as they ran out of the application forms for opening the accounts.

J Surya Rao, assistant sub-postmaster at the head post office, said they had told the crowd very clearly that no person or organization would transfer funds into their savings accounts but they would only be eligible to avail of the government benefits and schemes as per the rules, if any. “But they refused to listen to us and insisted on opening their savings accounts,” he said.

It is now learnt that the postal department has issued a circular recently to all post offices to open savings accounts for all the interested BPL families on production of their BPL ration cards and depositing Rs 50. The circular was given with the motive of enrolling them for some future welfare schemes.

Some of the Kakinada people who witnessed the mad rush said that postal agents could have spread the rumour to meet their targets possibly.