-TDP for CBI probe into CAG comments on Rs 48,284 Cr
-Centre should intervene to prevent irretrievable crisis
-State debt set to touch Rs. 9 L Cr by 2024
AMARAVATI: TDP former finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu on Saturday urged the Central Government to impose ‘financial emergency’ in Andhra Pradesh to prevent the Jagan Mohan Reddy Government from pushing the State into an irretrievable financial crisis.
Ramakrishnudu stressed the need for invoking Article 360 of the Indian constitution in AP immediately considering the ‘extremely serious’ nature of budgetary and financial violations being committed by the current regime.
Addressing a press conference here, Ramakrishnudu also demanded the Centre to order a CBI inquiry into the CAG comments of ‘possible misappropriation’ of Rs. 48,284 Cr of public funds during 2020-`21. The CBI should also find out why the YCP Government was unwilling to give clarifications sought by the statutory auditor four to five times.
The Opposition Leader in Council said that if the Central Government did not intervene now, the AP financial situation would slip into an irretrievable crisis in the near future beyond anybody’s control. Going by the Jagan Reddy regime’s gross mismanagement, the State debt would touch Rs. 8 Lakh Cr to Rs. 9 Lakh Cr by 2024.
Ramakrishnudu said in future, over Rs. 31,000 Cr would be required annually to repay interest and principal debt servicing. The YCP rule had brought massive loans and resorted to such huge corruption that left AP into a total financial mess in just three years. If the same mismanagement continued for the remaining two years of the Jagan rule, nobody would be able to save AP from its severe financial crisis.
The TDP senior leader slammed the Jagan regime for not spending anything on development projects while the expenditure on welfare was also not in line with the ruling party’s claims and promises. The YCP Government had violated the norms of FRBM, treasury code, legislature and even the court judgements.
Expressing serious concern, Ramakrishnudu said the CAG report raised doubts whether the ruling party leaders had misused Rs. 48,284 Cr for which the State Government was not able to show bills. During 2020-`21, the YCP regime spent Rs. 1.73 Lakh Cr but failed to show proper bills for Rs. 48,284 Cr expenditure. Since the YCP regime was not clarifying to the CAG queries, it would be concluded that these massive unaccounted funds went into the pockets of the YCP leaders.
Ramakrishnudu said there was no term as ‘special bills’ as per the treasury code but the YCP Government used this to claim Rs. 48,284 Cr. For this, the YCP regime had even spoiled the CFMS (comprehensive financial management system), which had features for total transparency in the Government’s financial transactions.
The TDP leader said the CBI should also find out at what level the treasury code violations were committed for mismanaging multi-crore funds. When thousands of crores of transactions were involved, the Chief Minister and the Finance Minister would also be involved. Unless the Centre would take control of the financial situation, AP would soon be bogged down in an irreparable crisis.
