Naidu spreading false propaganda: YSRCP Chief Jagan

Hyderabad: A day after he was compared to Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, YSRCP chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy accused state chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu of spreading fake propaganda.

Jagan on Friday came down heavily on Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and TDP coalition government for spreading false propaganda under the guise of White Papers in the state.

Speaking to media here on Friday, the YSRCP Chief slammed the TDP government for not presenting a full budget for 12 months even after 52 days of coming into power and said Naidu lacks the courage to present a regular budget, opting instead for a Vote on Account.

If he presented a regular budget, he would need to allocate funds for the deceptive promises made before the elections, but he is avoiding it because he doesn’t intend to implement those schemes sincerely, he added.

On state debts, the YSRCP Chief said TDP spread false propaganda claiming that the state debt was Rs 14 lakh crore before the elections, and after election results, they claimed it Rs 10 lakh crore. However, as of June this year, the actual government debt stands at Rs 5,18,708 crore.

The YSRCP president said when Naidu left office, the debt was Rs 2,71,798 crore and it was Rs 1,18,051 crore at the time of the state's bifurcation and referring to government guarantees, the debt when Naidu left office was 50,000 crore, and under YSRCP government, it increased to Rs 1,06,000 crore.

The YSRCP President said the total state liabilities were Rs 1,53,347 crore when Chandrababu Naidu took office, which increased to Rs 4,08,710 crore by the time he left with 21.63 per cent increase while the debt under YSRCP government increased to Rs 7,48,000 crore, with 12.9) per cent increase and therefore, it is evident whose tenure saw a higher increase in debt.

He reminded that they YSRCP government had directly transferred Rs 2.70 lakh crore to beneficiaries through DBT schemes over the past five years and added that even though state received Rs 5,655 crore from the centre on June 10, and the treasury had about Rs 7,000 crore by June 12, Naidu opted for a Vote on Account to avoid fulfilling his promises.

Detailing on the deteriorating law and order in the state, the YSRCP President said that the state has become unsafe for women, with 12 rape cases reported in the past 45 days. He said Chief Minister’s son and minister Nara Lokesh displayed a Red Book, issuing threats, with hoardings all over the state and questioned what message they were trying to convey.

With regards to sand policy, the former Chief Minister said the previous YSRCP government sold sand at Rs. 375 per ton, generating an annual revenue of Rs. 765 crore to the government implementing a clear and transparent sand policy and added that though Naidu's government is promoting the idea of free sand but it is being supplied at higher rates than what was charged during YSRCP’s tenure.

The YSRCP President said the revenue from the Mines and Geology Department was Rs. 2200 crores in 2018-2019 and it was Rs. 4000 crore by the end of YSRCP Government’s tenure in 2023-24, and the revenue of APMDC was Rs 400 crore in 2018-19 while it increased Rs. 3200 crore by the end of YSRCP’s tenure in 2023-24.

Reacting to allegations on Liquor policy, the YSRCP President said the liquor syndicate was rampant, leading to uncontrolled alcohol flow through permit rooms and belt shops during the TDP tenure from 2014–19.

He asserted that the YSRCP government did not grant new permits to any distilleries or approve any new liquor brands and the brands President Medal and Hyderabad Blue Deluxe were approved on November 22, 2017, during Naidu's tenure as Chief Minister.

He pointed out that the TDP government approved nearly 15 brands of whiskey and brandy and added that there are 20 liquor distilleries in the state, of which 14 were approved during Naidu's tenure as Chief Minister.

The remaining six distilleries were approved by previous governments and confirmed that the YSRCP government did not approve any new distilleries.

He mentioned that the YSRCP government effectively implemented phased liquor control, taking several measures that include reducing the number of liquor shops from 4,380 during the TDP government to 2,934, cancelling 4,380 permit rooms attached to each wine shop and closing down over 43,000 belt shops that operated indiscriminately.