Vijayawada: The ruling YSR Congress is deeply embarrassed by the critical comments of BJP national president JP Nadda about AP’s debts and welfare schemes. Tourism minister RK Roja and others rejected the allegations of the BJP as “meaningless” and said that YSRC is ensuring both development and welfare in the state.
Roja lashed out at Nadda for his “baseless” comments. “Chief minister Jagan Reddy is working hard for the welfare of the people and has come up with many welfare schemes. He is doing many great things that the saffron party could not even think of in the states it ruled,” she said.
The minister asked, “Is the Centre not taking loans” and “are not the BJP CMs borrowing?” The people of Andhra Pradesh know what the BJP, the Janasena and the Telugu Desam have done to the state,” he said.
She said the BJP government at the Centre was collecting huge taxes from AP but is not fulfilling the bifurcation assurances. She refuted the claims of JP Nadda about “sanctioning of huge funds” to AP for development and welfare and said it gave no special funds to AP other than what it did for other states.
She recalled that the Arogyasri scheme was introduced by the late YSR and not by the Modi government as was claimed by Nadda. BJP ruled 18 states but failed to give houses to the poor on any large scale, but the Jagan government gave 32 lakh houses in AP to such people.
“Show your strength in AP by winning the Atmakur bypoll,” she challenged the BJP and expressed confidence that the people will give their mandate in favour of the YSRC there.
Former minister and MLA, Perni Venkatramaiah, said India’s debt in 2014 was Rs 53 lakh crore and BJP increased it to Rs 1.30 lakh crore in eight years of the Modi rule. He recalled that the PM said he would give a job to every family, and questioned how many jobs he has given so far?
“There are about 1.70 crore families in the state. How many families were given jobs by Modi or the BJP? He said the BJP was criticising AP for its debt while the Centre raised the country’s debt to Rs 1.30 lakh crore. Can any state do borrowings without nod from the Centre, he asked.
AT a separate press meet, YSR Congress Medical Wing Krishna district president Dr. Mehaboob Shaik recalled that Arogyasri was started in 2007 by YSR to encourage poor people to avail free medical services in corporate hospitals. Taking this as a good example, many state governments have launched Arogyasri type schemes later.
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