Taking on the ruling YSRCP government on completion of its first year in power in Andhra Pradesh, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) National General Secretary Nara Lokesh alleged that the YSRCP leaders have no moral right to talk about welfare of APs people.
Speaking to the media on Monday, the former Andhra Pradesh minister said that the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government has not fully implemented even one of its 'Navaratnalu' cash transfer promises during the past one year. Releasing the TDP chargesheet against Reddy's government on completing a year in office, Lokesh likened it to the CBI chargesheet that listed out Rs 1 lakh crore of scams during his father's rule.
Former AP chief minister Chandrababu Naidu's son Lokesh said that TDP has issued the present chargesheet as Jaganmohan Reddy has allegedly indulged in even larger corruption as Chief Minister of AP.
"The one chance given by the people was used for AP's destruction. Navaratnalu was turned into a bundle of scams and lies. Constitutional violations and human rights violations were rampant in the last one year. Jagan Reddy has used his innovation to launch new schemes only to carry out his scams and plunder public money. Not the opposition parties, even YSRCP leaders and the general public are making allegations against it," Lokesh said.
Queried about YSRCP claims on welfare benefits, the former minister said Jagan Reddy promised to give Ammavadi cash benefits to 82 lakh beneficiaries but after coming to power, only 43 lakh were given this benefit. The elderly poor citizens were promised a hike of Rs 1,000 in pensions prior to polls but only Rs 250 increase was there. For each and every promise in Navaratnalu, the CM is now using 'conditions apply' clause in their implementation so as to deny the benefits to the poor beneficiaries as far as possible, Lokesh alleged.
Hitting back at the YSRCP criticism against Chandrababu Naidu, Lokesh alleged that the ruling party got an entire flight cancelled to prevent the former CM from meeting the victims of LG Polymers gas tragedy in Visakhapatnam.
Referring to YSRCP's poll promise of total prohibition, Lokesh accused Jagan Reddy of becoming the brand ambassador for cheap liquor. "Very harmful liquor brands are being sold at the Jagan Reddy liquor shops being run in the name of the government. The scam behind this liquor scheme was designed to amass Rs 25,000 crore in the five years of his rule", he alleged.
Lokesh pointed to the ruling party MLAs themselves who were raising protests against shortage of sand being sold at Rs. 50,000 per lorry-load whereas the same quantity used to cost Rs 10,000 during the TDP regime.
"Due to the YSRCP sand mafia, 40 lakh construction workers and their families are on the roads now without work while 60 of these workers committed suicides, unable to feed their families.", he said.
Lokesh said while YSRCP indulged in corruption all through the year including in coronavirus kits and bleaching powder, the TDP under the leadership of Chandrababu Naidu fought for justice for the people in regard to LG Polymers leak, lockdown violations by YSRCP leaders, and sand and liquor mafia activities.
( With inputs from IANS )