When youth floated a political party four years ago and came to power in Andhra Pradesh with a huge margin of votes, many people felt that they will rule the state to the satisfaction of all sections of society and put the state on the road to development. The Bharatiya Janata Party leading the government at the Centre also thought along the same lines and had been extending full cooperation to Andhra Pradesh for its all-round development. Alas! Today in Andhra Pradesh there is anarchy, utter disorder, and corrupt administration, the like of which one does not find in any other state.
Everywhere in AP, people are disgusted with the state government and want this ‘rule’ to end. People had elected Jagan Mohan Reddy, despite 16 charge-sheets filed by CBI and ED against him, mainly because he is the son of late YS Rajasekhar Reddy. Since the people were angry with the Congress as it had divided Andhra Pradesh, its votes were transferred to YSRCP. Jagan would have nothing to claim credit for this. Jagan managed to secure people’s votes using his father’s name. Jagan, after coming to power, initiated politics of hatred and destruction. He shelved the development of the state, effected arrests, and unleashed violence and created panic. He encouraged mafia and murder politics and terrorised political opponents. The police force has been used against anyone who questioned him. Incidents like engineering attacks on judges and elected people’s representatives, threatening Tollywood industry, lending support to religious conversions, stifling the voice of media have taken place under Jagan’s regime.
People can notice the hurdles being created in the execution of the Polavaram project on the pretext of government going in for ‘reverse tendering’, cancelling PPAs, and stalling the Amaravati developmental works by putting forward the three state capitals’ policy. On the one hand, the government is claiming to discourage alcoholism but on the other hand, it has been introducing some new brands of liquor into the market to play with the lives of people. Over the past four years, diversion of central government funds to other purposes, borrowing funds indiscriminately, mortgaging public assets, lending support to Jagan’s followers in sand and mining activities, growing land encroachments, atrocities, defaulting in payments of bills to contractors are some of the other misdeeds due to which the flow of investments has come to a halt in the state.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, soon after taking the reins of power, annulled the Planning Commission and replaced it with NITI Aayog that is working sincerely to implement cooperative federalism. As per the recommendations of the NITI Aayog, the Centre decided to devolve 41% share of taxes, levied, and collected by the Centre, on the states. The Centre extended special economic package to AP in view of the special economic problems in AP following the bifurcation of the state. One should not forget that the state received special economic assistance to the tune of over Rs 62,000 crore over the last four years.
The Modi government merged seven Polavaram affected mandals with Andhra Pradesh to ensure the early completion of the Polavaram project. Yet, the Jaganmohan Reddy government deliberately created a situation in which none would be able to say when the Polavaram Project would be completed. Jagan boasted of saving funds in the name of reverse tendering but has not submitted proper accounts for the funds released to execute the project. The Polavaram Coffer Dam was washed away in floods leading to suspension of the works.
The Centre sanctioned lakhs of crores of rupees to AP for developing smart cities, establishing 16 national institutions like the AIIMS and IIT, building airports and railway projects under way in the state. It gave permission to Vizag-Chennai Corridor, coastal economic zones, green field crude oil refinery, petro chemical complex, express highways and paved the way for execution of the works of these projects on a war footing. The Centre gave the green light to raise thousands of crores of loans from the World Bank and the ADB. Had Jagan government worked in tune with the Modi government, Andhra Pradesh would have topped the list not only in the serial order but by virtue of its development.
The AP government did not release matching funds for developmental works worth several thousands of crores; did not allocate land for industrial corridors, metro, and other projects; did not submit project reports to the government, leading to stalling of developmental works worth several thousands of crores. While announcing Nava Ratna scheme, the young Chief Minister failed to create wealth to implement the Nava Ratnas. He has renamed Central schemes to make it appear like the state government’s schemes. What happened to the funds given to the state by the Centre and funds to the tune of Rs 10 lakh crore borrowed by the state government indiscriminately? Why has the financial position of the state government deteriorated to such an extent that the state government is not able to pay salaries to government employees on the first of every month?
Why are prospective investors not coming forward to invest in AP? Is it not due to power cuts, water shortage, shortage of sand, damaged roads as well as deteriorating law and order situation. Is it not true that YSRCP leaders are threatening for their cut and kickbacks if anyone comes forward to invest in AP or even to register their houses? Over the past four years, investments to the tune of Rs 17 lakh crore have gone to other states and AP has slid to 15th position among start-ups. There is unemployment in the state. What happened to the Job Calendar announced by Jagan?
There is no doubt that the day when the anarchic rule of Jagan would come to an end is not far.
