Warning that the cash-strapped Andhra Pradesh is going the Sri Lanka way, Telugu Desam Party president and former Chief Minister N Chandrababu has called for ending the alleged misrule of the Jagan Mohan Reddy government.
Sounding the poll bugle from the ‘Mahanadu’ dias here on Saturday, Mr. Naidu exhorted the party cadre to get ready for a ‘‘do or die battle” to save the State whenever elections were held. Hinting that the polls might be advanced in the State, he said the party was ready to face them whenever held.
Mr. Naidu said the current bills doubled in May when compared to April. Prices of tomato and chicken were skyrocketing at ₹120 and ₹320 respectively. Sand rate went up from ₹600 per tractor load during TDP rule to ₹6,000 under YSRCP regime. “No wonder tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, Andhra Pradesh is going the Sri Lanka way,” he said.”
The TDP would take the responsibility for rerailing the derailed economy of the State, he said and wanted the party cadre to take the lead in enlightening the five crore people on the financial mess caused by the YSRCP government.
Alleging that Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy had amassed ₹1.75 lakh crore in three years, he asked: “While the coffers of the Jagan family has become full, the State is saddled with ₹8 lakh crore debt. How are the people of the State going repay this debt?”
All sections of people were unhappy with the performance of the government and waiting for an opportunity to send Mr. Jagan home, he added.
''A sea of people have come to the Mahanadu today. Jagan will go mad at this. He will not sleep tonight. His government has lost the trust of people. Our Mahanadu meeting is full and their Ministers bus yatra is empty", he claimed.
Mr. Naidu accused Mr. Jagan of blackmailing all systems and looting natural resources. Over 500 to 1,000 lorries were taking laterite every day from Agency areas in East Godavari and Vizag to Bharati Cements, he alleged adding that the cement bag of a Jagan company would remain high at ₹400.
Mr. Naidu said he developed Amaravati along the lines of Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai. But now, Mr. Jagan had destroyed Amaravati and forced the people to go to Hyderabad or Chennai or Bengaluru for 'low paid menial works'. The golden future of Andhra Pradesh was totally crushed. Even the lifeline irrigation project of Polavaram was smashed in the name of reverse tendering, he alleged..
Actor-politician Balakrishna asked the people to use their votes judiciously as they would have no future without returning the TDP back to power in the State as the government indulged in rampant misappropriation of natural resources, including sand, disproving the popular lyric of Gurjada Appa Rao that ‘‘desamante-matti-kadoi’‘.
