YS Jagan calls budget ‘bundle of lies’

YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president and former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has slammed the State Budget for 2025-26, labelling it a “bundle of lies” with inadequate allocations and inconsistent data. He accused Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu of deceiving the public and announced that the party would hold protests at district collector offices on March 12 in support of the students and their parents who have been unfairly treated.
Speaking to the media persons, Jagan stressed that YSRCP is the sole Opposition party in the Assembly and deserves appropriate recognition, citing the Delhi Assembly’s allocation of Opposition status to the BJP despite its limited representation. He noted that, to effectively implement the “Super Six” schemes promised during the elections, the government will need to allocate `79,867 crore, a figure he claimed was absent from the budget and its speech.
YS Jagan highlighted discrepancies in Chandrababu’s claims regarding the `10-lakh crore loan taken by the previous government, pointing out that official budget documents reveal a much lower figure and that public debt was obscured in the latest budget.
He accused the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) of spreading misinformation to divert attention from its failure to meet electoral promises, asserting that the public is regretting their trust in TDP and believes Jagan delivers on commitments.
Providing detailed evidence, Jagan outlined various budgetary anomalies that fail to align with election promises, leaving multiple demographics including farmers, women, students and youth disappointed. He criticised the absence of a promised ?3,000 monthly stipend for unemployed youth, stating that TDP owes each unemployed youth in the State ?72,000.
Regarding job creation, he pointed out that the coalition government has not delivered on promises made, claiming that instead of generating employment, it has driven away industrialists like Jindal and laid off workers.
Jagan also noted the lack of funds in the budget for the Aadabidda Nidhi scheme, which promised ?18,000 annually to women aged 18 to 59, affecting approximately 1.80 crore voters. He mentioned that no allocations were made for free bus services or the “Talliki Vandanam” programme, which mirrors the Amma Vodi initiative.
He further criticised the government for not allocating the necessary ?13,112 for each of the 87.41 lakh students in the State, highlighting that students should receive ?30,000 over two years. He pointed out similar unmet promises for farmers, who were to receive ?20,000 beyond the PM Kisan scheme and criticised the inadequate funding for the Deepam scheme and pension programmes.
YS Jagan accused Chandrababu Naidu of contradicting his election promises, stating that he would uphold all of Jagan’s welfare schemes while introducing Super Six. Instead, he claimed that initiatives such as fees reimbursement and Aarogyasri have been diluted or eliminated, with significant negative impacts on the education sector and rural backbone programmes.
He further cited past instances where the Opposition status was accorded to Chandrababu’s party during Jagan’s tenure. Jagan stated that despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, his administration had performed better and he accused Chandrababu’s government of manipulating figures to present an unrealistic economic picture. He also referenced alleged electoral malpractices, stating that the voters taught Chandrababu a lesson during the recent MLC elections in North Andhra.