Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Y.S. Sharmila on May 5 (Sunday) released ‘Nava Sandehalu’ (nine doubts) on the issue of price rise during the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) tenure in the State.
In a letter addressed to Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, she demanded his explanation on his government’s failure to initiate effective steps to reduce the financial burden on the common man in view of the price rise in the last five years.
She said the Chief Minister had reneged on his promise to create a price stabilisation fund with a corpus of ₹3,000 crore to insulate the farmers from the steep fall in prices. He had promised that his government would not increase power tariff but had thrust a burden of ₹1,300 crore on the consumers, she alleged.
Accusing him of resorting to anti-people policies, she asked him why fuel (petrol and diesel) prices were increased, imposing an additional financial burden of ₹500 crore on people, ₹700 crore through RTC bus fares hike and ₹1,800 crore by increasing liquor prices.
Ms. Sharmila alleged that fees for university students were increased without improving the standards of education. She accused Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy of destroying the construction sector by effecting a five-fold increase in the price of sand because of which nearly 40 lakh workers lost their livelihoods.
Referring to the “grim financial situation” in the State, she said this year alone, the government had increased taxes of ₹10,000 crore and had borrowed ₹47,000 crore from the Centre and yet there was no development in the State.
Pointing out that the poor in the State were supplied 11 items through fair-price shops during the tenure of Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, she demanded to know why the supply of pulses, tamarind, sugar and many other items were stopped.
Addressing a public meeting at Kovur, Ms. Sharmila said the TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu and Mr. Jagan should share the blame for the neglect of the State in the last 10 years.
Ms. Sharmila, as part of her campaign in support of the party’s candidate for the Assembly constituency Ravi Kiran Reddy and Nellore Lok Sabha candidate Koppula Raju, said the TDP, which came to power immediately after the State bifurcation, did nothing concrete to build a new capital for the residual State and instead wasted precious time in duping people of the State by showing them grand graphic images of the proposed new capital.
“The YSRCP, which took over the reign from the TDP, unleashed anarchy and loot, caring little to focus on the development aspect,” she alleged.
She said the determination of the Congress to usher in development in Andhra Pradesh should be reason for the people to give the party a chance.
