Amaravati, March 6 Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Friday accused the YSR Congress party of shirking its responsibility to attend the Legislative Assembly, and said that the status of opposition is determined by the people, not the government.
Speaking on the Appropriation Bill in the Legislative Assembly, he said that the YSRCP is saying that they will only attend the Assembly if they are given the status of the main opposition.
"Power and opposition status come only with people's votes. All of this is clear in the Constitution, but they are deliberately trying to politicize it," he said.
Chandrababu Naidu remarked that the YSRCP has not received the number of seats required for opposition status.
The YSRCP has been staying away from the Assembly, seeking the statue of the Leader of the Opposition for its president and former Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.
The YSRCP has only 11 members in the 175-member Assembly.
He claimed that in the last 20 months, the coalition government has overcome difficulties and problems to put the state back on track.
"We are rebuilding Andhra Pradesh, which was damaged due to division and the destruction by the previous rulers. With the support of Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we are taking key decisions for the people's welfare," he said.
He stated that the victory of 94 per cent of the candidates of the NDA in the last elections is a testament to the trust that the people have in them.
He claimed that the partners in the NDA government are working together to take the state forward on the path of progress.
He said that the coalition took the responsibility of rebuilding and securing the future of the state, which had become extremely unattainable. The NDA partners were expected to work in complete coordination and they have been able to achieve this.
"We are leading the state from destruction to development and from crisis to welfare. All systems were destroyed in the previous regime. We have put everything back on track," he said.
Stating that the coalition has an agenda, he said it should also win the 2029 elections to achieve its goals.
He said that under the previous government, 85 out of 92 centrally sponsored schemes had become defunct and funds were diverted.
He alleged that the previous rulers also mortgaged government assets to raise debts. He claimed that properties like the MRO office and primary health centres were mortgaged.
He claimed that the previous government misused government financial resources by taking loans at 12-13 percent interest rates. "We have restructured loans worth Rs. 43,298 crore. This will save Rs. 328 crore. We will also take steps to restructure loans worth another Rs 1 lakh crore. This will make Rs. 1658 crore available. With these funds, there will be an opportunity to implement another welfare scheme," he said.
He claimed that the coalition government has attracted investments of Rs 20 lakh crore by introducing 25 new policies in the state. This investment is expected to generate jobs for 23 lakh people.
Chandrababu Naidu reiterated that the Polavaram project will be dedicated to the nation by June next year. He accused his predecessor Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy of destroying the Polavaram project, which is the lifeline of the state, for his own selfish reasons.
He also stated that the coalition government, with the help of the Centre, has put the Amaravati capital works on track. The new state capital will take shape in three years, he said.
He said that the government also saved the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant with the Centre's funds. For the first time, the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant has turned profitable.
