Andhra Pradesh BJP chief spokesperson Lanka Dinakar said the State’s debt in the last five years amounted to a staggering ₹14 lakh crore and about ₹8 lakh crore have gone into the pockets of corrupt leaders of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) and their accomplices.
Addressing a press conference along with TDP Politburo member and Vijayawada Central constituency MLA candidate Bonda Umamaheswara Rao and Jana Sena Party (JSP)’s Rayapati Aruna at the BJP State office on April 29, Mr. Dinakar said the YSRCP manifesto for the 2024 elections lacked a vision for wealth creation.
The average annual capital expenditure was just 8% of the total budget outlay (roughly ₹16,000 per year). An expenditure of only ₹26,000 crore was incurred on irrigation projects.
Revenue deficit was ₹38,500 crore on an average. The per capita GSDP between 2014 and 2019 was 12.79% and it plummeted to 9.45%. There were many such stark economic indicators that laid bare Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s claim to have done wonders.
Mr. Umamaheswara said that the fiscal deficit had widened beyond control during the YSRCP rule and that investments had dried up long back due to the hostile business environment that prevailed in the last five years.
Corruption was rampant, due to which those interested in developing the State backed off. Huge sums were devoured in the procurement of electricity smart meters and in sand mining. The massive revenue generated by liquor sales reeked of a major scandal.
Mr. Umamaheswara Rao further said that the ₹9.55 lakh crore purportedly spent on welfare schemes were not properly accounted for. The power tariffs were increased 11 times in five years in the form of various charges. As a consequence, electricity consumers across the spectrum had to shell down large sums on monthly power bills.
Published - April 29, 2024 02:57 pm IST
