The incumbent coalition government in Andhra Pradesh was targeted by former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, accusing them of bad and lapse in the management of state finances and failure to deliver any promises made. Quoting the criticism lavished by leaders like Chandrababu Naidu, Pawan Kalyan, and Daggubati Purandeswari who had declared that the State would go down if YSRCP comes to power, Jagan questioned their current leadership who was presenting a “token budget” without focusing upon key financial challenges.
Jagan reminded the public of the accusations made by Naidu and Kalyan during the YSRCP government’s tenure, when they claimed Andhra Pradesh was heading towards a crisis similar to Sri Lanka’s. Despite these dire warnings, he pointed out, the current administration failed to present a full budget after six months in power, opting instead for a vote-on-account budget.
Addressing claims made by the opposition that the YSRCP government had left the state with a debt of 14 lakh crores, Jagan clarified that during his tenure, the state debt was 4.5 lakh crores, with an additional 1.5 lakh crores in guarantees, bringing the total to 6 lakh crores in the current budget. He challenged the opposition to explain how the state’s debt doubled in their estimates, questioning who, under their leadership, truly pushed the state into financial crisis.
Jagan also took aim at Chandrababu Naidu, accusing him of continuing to spread false claims despite clear evidence. He highlighted that Naidu was attributing pending bills and liabilities only to the current government, whereas such issues are a common challenge faced by all governments annually. Jagan backed up his claims with specific data, revealing the significant liabilities left behind by the previous administration when the YSRCP took office.