In the last four years, there has been no asset creation in Andhra Pradesh, and Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy is piling up debts to fund his welfare schemes, which is already adversely hitting the State, and will push it into doldrums, says BJP State president D. Purandeswari.
Speaking to The Hindu here on July 29 (Saturday), Ms. Purandeswari said that the State government had already availed of ₹2.20 lakh crore as loans from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) officially under the FRBM limits.
This apart, the government had unofficially mobilised over ₹4.50 lakh crore through various corporations, by mortgaging the State’s assets, and by showing the future revenue from liquor sales, she alleged.
“Andhra Pradesh now stares at a very bleak future,” Ms. Purandeswari observed.
“Even the Union government obtains loans. But in lieu of it, assets such as road and rail networks are created, which in turn earn revenues. That is how it should be,” she asserted.
When Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was apprised of the situation recently, she had expressed anguish and agreed to look into it, Ms. Purandeswari said.
“But in a federal set-up like ours, there is little the Union government can do if loans are mobilised unofficially,” she said.
“The saddest part is that even the funds of ₹1,500 crore allocated to the gram panchayats by the Union government have been diverted to the Comprehensive Financial Management System (CFMS) instead of the Public Financial Management System (PFMS), and spent to fund the welfare schemes,” she said.
After we raised a hue and cry, about ₹900 crore was transferred to the PFMS, but ₹600 crore was taken back again under the guise of electricity charges.
“That is why we are staging an agitation across the districts on August 10. A State-wide agitation will be staged on August 17,” Ms. Purandeswari said.
‘YSRCP funding schemes with Central funds’
Referring to the slew of welfare schemes being implemented by the State government, Ms. Purandeswari said that a lion’s share of funds for the same were being provided by the Union government. “The State government is cornering the entire credit by changing the name and releasing the funds,” she alleged.
“For example, Jagananna Thodu is a Union government-sponsored scheme that provides ₹10,000 interest-free loan to the push-cart vendors and small traders under the PM Svanidhi. But the Chief Minister has changed the name of the scheme to claim entire credit. We cannot do much as we are under a federal system,” she observed.
Asked whether the BJP failed to enlighten people about such political gimmicks, Ms. Purandeswari, while admitting it, alleged that the “media too did not cooperate to the desired extent. That is the reason why we are relying on social media.”
“One of our main goals now is to take the message to the masses, and that is why we are focussing on strengthening the booth-level structure. We will undertake a door-to- door campaign,” she added.
Speaking about her strategy to improve the image of the party, Ms. Purandeswari said, “The foremost task is to strengthen the BJP at the grass-roots level. Secondly, we intend to strengthen our relationship with our alliance partner, the Jana Sena Party (JSP).”
“Coordination panels will be formed to ensure greater coordination between BJP and JSP leaders and workers at the grassroots level. ”D. PurandeswariBJP State president
Admitting that there “is a lack of synergy between the alliance partners at the grass-roots level, though the top brass share a bonhomie,” she said, “We have plans to form coordination committees and improve the relationship between the party leaders and workers.”
Tie-up with other parties
On alliances with other political parties, including the TDP, Ms. Purandeswari maintained that “as of now nothing has been decided, and it is up to the leadership to decide that aspect.”
“But we will give our opinion and feedback. We are keen to ensure that the State is in good hands,” said Ms. Purandeswari.
The BJP State president also remained non-committal on who would be the chief ministerial candidate for the 2024 Assembly elections. “The top bosses will decide it,” she quipped.
