Rs 1.82 L Cr loans diverted for YCP frauds: Kanakamedala
Naidu spent more on welfare compared to Jagan Reddy
AMARAVATI: TDP Rajya Sabha MP Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar on Tuesday slammed the Jaganmohan Reddy Government for telling lies to the people that it was bringing massive multi-crore loans for implementing welfare programmes for them.
Ravindra Kumar said that the Government was trying to hide its huge financial lapses and then blame the previous TDP regime for the State’s debts. Over Rs. 3 lakh crore of loans were brought in the past two and half years but only Rs. 1.30 lakh crore was spent for welfare. It was obvious that the ruling YSRCP diverted most of the loans for its scams and frauds.
Addressing a press conference here, the TDP MP said that the Jagan regime was mismanaging the State economy so much that it was hiding facts and correct figures even from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India. The previous TDP brought 1.80 lakh crore of loans during its five year term. But the YSRCP rule brought Rs. 2.87 lakh crore of loans in just two and half years. There were no accounts on where they had spent all these loans.
Ravindra Kumar deplored that there was a huge mismatch between the massive loans being brought and the accounts being shown by the AP Government. The officials were also scared to provide correct details and they were simply playing second fiddle to their irresponsible political bosses. Public funds were being changed between accounts without any transparency. The Government was making grievous mistakes and it was trying to make the people believe them as correct.
The TDP MP advised the ruling party leaders not to make comparisons between Chandrababu Naidu and Jaganmohan Reddy with regard to loans. The AP debt was over Rs.1.64 lakh crore by the time the TDP came to power in 2014. The Chandrababu rule made just Rs. 1.80 lakh crore loans in five years when a lot of development projects were taken up. But the Jagan regime brought Rs. 2.87 lakh cr in its two and half years.
Ravindra Kumar said that the YCP regime spent just Rs. 1.05 lakh cr on all sorts of welfare programmes. So, it should explain where the remaining Rs. 1.82 lakh cr of total loans were spent in the State. It became fashionable to bring massive loans in the name of Navaratnalu and then misuse them to fill the pockets of the ruling YSRCP leaders. The Government was not able to say what it had done with massive loans, which vanished without a trace.
Decrying the Government’s ‘reckless approach’, Ravindra Kumar deplored that there were also no accounts for the additional revenue and funds received during the Coronavirus pandemic. Already, the CAG had found fault with the AP Government for not giving accounts for over Rs. 42,000 Cr. Even thousands of crores of loans brought through the AP State Development Corporation (APSDC) were being kept a top secret.
The TDP RS member said that the Chandrababu regime spent Rs. 4 lakh cr on welfare programmes in five years but the Jagan regime spent just Rs. 1.05 lakh cr in two and half years. This showed the difference in the approach and credibility of the TDP and the YSRCP. The Jagan rule spent Rs. 59,914 cr on welfare in 2019`-20 and Rs. 70,247 cr in 2020-`21. The total came to Rs. 1.30 lakh cr which shown in the budget as Rs. 1.05 lakh cr.
Ravindra Kumar said that the Jagan Government was misusing all systems in order to turn every scheme into a scam. The rates were being increased abnormally and the resultant additional income was going as kickbacks into the ruling party leaders’ pockets. The liquor bottle rate was Rs. 50 in the TDP regime but it was raised to Rs. 150 under the Jagan rule. There were no accounts where the additional Rs. 100 was going.