Botcha, Kesav spar over CAG report and state finances
Vijayawada: Sharpexchanges erupted in the Legislative Council on Friday as Opposition leader Botcha Satyanarayana and finance minister Payyavula Kesav clashed over the Comptroller and Auditor General of India report and the state’s financial position.
Taking part in a discussion in the Council, Botcha said the opposition had repeatedly raised concerns about the government’s budget figures but had not received clear answers. He pointed out that the state budget of Rs 3.32 lakh crore shows a fiscal deficit of around Rs 75,000 crore and a revenue deficit of Rs 22,000 crore. The government, he said, must explain how it plans to bridge the gap.
Satyanarayana also claimed that Andhra Pradesh stands 22nd among states in terms of own revenue and GST collections, citing reports he said were based on official data. He urged the government to present the actual financial position before the House, noting that people across the state were watching the proceedings. His remarks drew a sharp response from Kesav. The finance minister asked the opposition leader to place the document he was referring to on the table of the House. Making sweeping claims without producing the source, he said, was not acceptable. The report, he insisted, should be shared with treasury benches for verification. Kesav added that the government was ready to answer every question raised by the opposition and urged members to continue the debate instead of disrupting proceedings.
As members from both sides began interrupting each other, the Chairman intervened several times and asked Satyanarayan to provide the exact reference of the report, including the volume and page number, so it could be verified. During the debate, IT minister Nara Lokesh countered the opposition’s claim about revenue rankings. He said available data on Gemeni AI places Andhra Pradesh eighth among States in revenue stability. Lokesh questioned how the opposition arrived at the figure of 22nd place and said the State was ahead of several others, including Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Kerala and Haryana.
SAtyanayana also raised questions about the government’s ‘Super Six’ welfare promises, asking when the remaining schemes would be implemented. He pointed out that details of several promises were not reflected in the budget documents and sought clarity on funding for those commitments.
The opposition leader further referred to the government’s claim that it inherited debts of about Rs 9.64 lakh crore from the previous regime and asked why the figure was not clearly reflected in the budget documents if it was based on official reports. He also sought explanations on allocations for farmers, including crop insurance and market intervention measures, and how the government plans to meet the financial requirements for these programmes.
Treasury bench members defended the government’s policies during the debate. ministers Kesav, Anam Ramanarayana Reddy and Gottipati Ravi Kumar cited steps taken to support farmers and stabilise agricultural markets, including procurement initiatives and financial assistance.
As tempers flared, the Chairman repeatedly reminded members to maintain order and follow legislative procedure while quoting reports or statistics in the House.
