VIJAYAWADA: YSRC president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday alleged that the TDP-led NDA government was not presenting the full Budget even after 52 days of forming government as Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu was not in a position to fulfil his poll promises.
On a day when the Chief Minister presented a white paper on finances of the State in the Assembly, Jagan held a marathon press meet where he spoke for nearly two-and-a-half hours about the white papers released by the government.
Terming the white papers introduced by Naidu completely false and a part of diversion politics, Jagan opined, “Whenever a new government takes charge, it introduces a budget for the remaining months. However, Naidu did not table the Budget as he would have had to show allocations for the promises announced before the elections. Instead, he opted to extend the vote-on-account Budget because he is not in a position to fulfil those promises.”
On State debts, he said Naidu had initially claimed before the elections that the debt was Rs 14 lakh crore, but later revised it to Rs 10 lakh crore in the Governor’s speech.
“However, as of June this year, the actual government debt stands at Rs 5,18,708 crore. When Naidu left office (in 2019), the debt was Rs 2,71,798 crore. It was Rs 1,18,051 crore at the time of the State’s bifurcation,” he pointed out.
Sand is being sold at higher rates now: Ex-CM
Referring to government guarantees, the former chief minister noted that the debt when Naidu left office was Rs 50,000 crore and increased to Rs 1,06,000 crore under the YSRC regime. “Total State liabilities were Rs 1,53,347 crore when Naidu took office in 2014, which increased to Rs 4,08,710 crore by the time he left, recording a 21.63% surge. On the other hand, debts under YSRC government increased to Rs 7,48,000 crore, which is a 12.90% spike. Therefore, it is evident whose tenure saw a higher increase in debt,” Jagan said.
Praising the Central Economic Survey’s positive assessment of AP’s financial situation during his tenure, the YSRC chief made a mention of the details presented in Rajya Sabha in response to a question which said the State debt stood at Rs 4,85,491 crore for 2023-24.
Jagan recalled that when his government assumed power, there was only Rs 100 crore in the treasury, yet they successfully introduced a regular Budget and announced a calendar for each scheme in the manifesto. “A total sum of Rs 2.70 lakh crore was deposited in the accounts of the beneficiaries through DBT under various welfare schemes as scheduled. In contrast, Naidu will introduce a vote-on-account Budget, despite having around Rs 7,000 crore in the treasury as of June 12 when he assumed power,” he said.
Criticising the current government’s sand policy, the YSRC chief said sand was being sold at a cost of Rs 375 per tonne through a transparent system under the previous regime, generating an annual revenue of Rs 765 crore.
He alleged that although Naidu’s government has been promoting sand as a free commodity, it is actually being supplied at higher rates than during YSRC’s tenure. Jagan noted that the Mines and Geology Department’s revenue increased from Rs 2,200 crore in 2018-2019 to Rs 4,000 crore by the end of YSRC’s term in 2023-24. Similarly, the Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation’s (APMDC) revenue surged to Rs 3,200 crore by 2023-24 from Rs 400 crore in 2018-19, he added.
Questioning the government on the status of the implementation of its ‘Super Six’ promises, the YSRC chief lashed out at Naidu for not implementing them yet. He pointed out that during his government’s tenure, benefits under schemes like Amma Vodi and zero-interest loans for SHGs were effectively provided.
Reacting to the issue pertaining to the burning of files at the RDO office in Madanapalle, Jagan charged the government with trying to implicate YSRC leaders Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy and PV Midhun Reddy in the case. “The issue was raked up to divert people’s attention from the murder in Vinukonda,” he alleged.
Later, Jagan shot off a letter to Governor S Abdul Nazeer, stating that there were some distorted facts in his address.
‘Naidu in touch with Cong via Revanth’
Asked if the YSRC was trying to get closer to INDIA bloc, Jagan said he had invited all parties to take part in his Delhi protest. Accusing Naidu of keeping in touch with Congress via TG CM Revanth Reddy, Jagan said leaders from most parties, except Congress, supported him