VIJAYAWADA: YSRC president and former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has accused Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and his associates of systematically spreading misinformation to mislead the public and divert attention from their governance failures. Speaking to newsmen on Wednesday, Jagan claimed the campaign was aimed at covering up the government’s inability to fulfil its key poll promises, including the much-acclaimed Super Six initiatives.
The former chief minister alleged that Naidu and his allies, with the support of “friendly media,” have been inflating figures related to State debt, falsely claiming it to be between Rs 10 lakh crore and Rs 14 lakh crore. “The actual debt, as recorded in official documents and the CAG report, is Rs 6.4 lakh crore,” Jagan stated, emphasising that his government had demonstrated better financial discipline than Naidu’s administration from 2014 to 2019, despite dealing with challenges such as the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The Chandrababu Naidu government exceeded the FRBM (Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management) limits by Rs 28,457 crore, which negatively impacted our term,” Jagan alleged. “Even so, we have achieved superior performance in terms of compounded annual growth, per capita income, and overall growth rate,” he asserted.
Jagan further alleged that social media activists highlighting the inefficiencies of Naidu’s government are being targeted with arrests, physical assaults, and illegal detentions. He criticised the deteriorating law and order situation, claiming that some retired officials are aiding such actions while the police operate under undue influence.
Addressing the spread of misinformation, Jagan said the opposition has resorted to baseless allegations on issues ranging from adulteration in Tirupati Laddu and land reforms to roads, power and his family. He also shared a video clip alleging that defamatory posts about YS Sharmila originated from the residence of Hindupur MLA Nandamuri Balakrishna.