Amaravati, March 17 – Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and YSR Congress Party president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy said on Tuesday that there is widespread public resentment against the coalition government.
Addressing YSRCP leaders and cadres from Ongole, he said he would embark on a padyatra (foot march) to address the people's concerns.
He said the coalition government had benefited no section of society. He added that discussions in every household were focused on how he had achieved so much and why Chandrababu Naidu was not doing the same.
Jagan claimed that he was motivated by a noble intent to serve the people and that he had implemented numerous welfare and development schemes in this spirit.
He alleged that Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu wanted power only for personal gain.
The YSRCP chief stated that in just two years, Chandrababu had spent Rs 3.30 lakh crore without fulfilling any of his election promises. He said that all YSRCP schemes had been scrapped, while the government's own schemes had not been implemented effectively. He asked where all the money had gone and alleged rampant corruption.
Stating that the coalition government had only three years left, Y.S. Jagan said he would embark on a padyatra in 1.5 years.
He said he planned to spend one-and-a-half years among the people through the padyatra. He urged party cadres to work together and expressed confidence that the YSRCP would return to power.
Jagan claimed that the YSRCP stood for values and credibility. He said the party was built by its cadres and its strength lay in its value-based approach. He said the contrast between YSRCP governance and that of the coalition was clearly visible.
He said the YSRCP had inherited the state in a state of disarray with just Rs 100 crore in 2019.
“Despite the COVID situation, we took corrective measures and put the state back on track. Although there were pressing issues and obligations, we did not stop welfare activities and implemented our manifesto in both letter and spirit, which surprised many,” he said.
The former Chief Minister said that out of the Rs 3.31 lakh crore loans taken by the YSRCP government, Rs 2.7 lakh crore was spent on welfare.
He claimed state revenues were falling and that land was being given away at throwaway prices. He also alleged that development work in the capital, Amaravati, was rife with corruption.
Jagan said that the TDP was the only party whose MP had been caught in a drug case, referring to the recent arrest of TDP MP Putta Mahesh Kumar during a police raid on a farmhouse near Hyderabad.
Alleging that there was no security for women in the state, the YSRCP chief said Chandrababu Naidu had been trying to downplay issues whenever there was an atrocity against women by appointing committees and dragging matters.