Former Union Minister and Congress Working Committee special invitee Chinta Mohan on Tuesday accused the YSRCP government of pushing the State into darkness.
At a press conference, the senior Congress leader said Andhra Pradesh was lagging behind many other States in terms of development. “Nobody is happy in this crisis-ridden State. Construction of the capital city has come to an abrupt halt, while disgruntled farmers have hit the road seeking justice. Women’s safety continues to be a matter of grave concern, while work at the Polavaram project has not made any headway. The promised Special Category Status (SCS) has also proven to be elusive for the State,” Mr. Chinta Mohan said.
He said income inequality was widening. “The government is further contributing to the chasm by handing over mega projects to corporate firms like Adani,” he said.
“Both the parties, the BJP at the Centre and the YSRCP in the State, have proved beyond all doubt that Congress is the only alternative for people who want a stable and a fair administration,” the former Union Minister said.
The Congress leader said that in the guise of reforms, the State government had ruined the education system in the State and the Medical and Health Department was also in a shambles.
Pooh-poohing the claims of Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy that he wants to usher in a ‘Rajanna Rajyam’ in the State, Mr. Chinta Mohan said lakhs of families continued to be in the grip of poverty in the State.
The Congress leader alleged that the Chief Minister was toeing the Centre’s line. “The BJP government at the Centre and the YSRCP government in the State, instead of prioritising people’s welfare, are adopting policies that are favourable to corporate firms,” he said.
“The BJP will be reduced to 100 seats and the Congress will wrest power from it at the Centre in the 2024 elections,” Mr. Chinta Mohan said, adding that one of the first steps it would take after coming to power would be to reduce the price of a cooking gas cylinder to ₹500.
