AMARAVATI: The principal opposition YSR Congress and Congress today released 'charge sheets' on completion of four years of the Chandrababu Naidu government, alleging that not one promise the TDP made ahead of the 2014 polls was fulfilled.
While the state's debt, prior to a bifurcation in 2014, stood at Rs 1 lakh crore, the state government borrowed over Rs 1.49 lakh crore in just four years, taking the total debt to Rs 2.50 lakh crore, the opposition parties said.
The government, however, defended the borrowing, claiming it was needed to fulfil the promises made to people.
The leader of Opposition in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council Ummareddy Venkateswarlu released the 31-page 'charge sheet' on behalf of YSRC, while former Union minister M M Pallam Raju released the Congress 'charge sheet.'
Both parties alleged that the TDP government "grossly failed" in implementing main promises like loan waiver to farmers." Sand mafia, land mafia and liquor mafia have been ruling the roost in the state. Even the National Crime Records Bureau data exposes the worst law and order scenario in AP," Venkateswarlu said.
"That the promises made in the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014 have not been fulfilled speaks of the biggest failure of the Chandrababu government. The Chief Minister mortgaged the special category status for a special economic package and pushed the state 15 years backwards," Venkateswarlu, a former Union minister, charged.
Not one permanent structure has been built in the last four years in the states new capital city Amaravati despite the Centre releasing Rs 1500 crore, he said. "That's the biggest failure of this government," the former union minister added.
Congress leader Pallam Raju said the TDP government betrayed the state's youth by failing to create job opportunities.
"There are 30 lakh unemployed youth in the state but the government cut down the number to just 10 lakh. It promised to pay unemployment allowance but four years since it assumed power, the TDP did nothing," he said.
Countering the opposition claims, state Finance minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu said the state has faced many problems post-bifurcation while implementation of GST caused revenue troubles.
"The state had a debt burden on 1.17 lakh crore (in 2014) and we had to pay interest on it. And, to fulfil our promises and implement welfare schemes, we had to borrow at least Rs 20,000 crore per annum," Ramakrishnudu said.
The state government has been implementing 103 schemes for "peoples happiness."
"We spent over Rs 5.20 lakh crore in the last four years on various welfare and development schemes that was unprecedented. The opposition parties do not speak about the injustice being done by the Centre to the state," the minister said.