Parthasarathy alleges YSRCP left AP buried in debt
Mangalagiri: Housing and information and public relations minister Kolusu Parthasarathy on Tuesday launched a strong attack on former chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, alleging that the previous YSRCP government prioritised businesses linked to the ruling family rather than genuine development, leaving Andhra Pradesh with a heavy debt burden.
Speaking to the media at TDP state headquarters in Mangalagiri, the minister said the coalition government inherited liabilities of nearly Rs 9.75 lakh crore, comprising about 164 major debt components. Despite the financial strain, he said the present administration is simultaneously pursuing welfare and infrastructure development. In contrast, he alleged, the previous government focused largely on cash-transfer schemes without creating durable public assets.
Referring to data from the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), Parthasarathy said the state’s total borrowings for 2024–25 stood at Rs81,071 crore. Of this, Rs 27,025 crore was borrowed between April and June during the previous regime. After the coalition assumed office in July 2024, it borrowed Rs 53,866 crore over the next nine months, out of which Rs 16,141 crore was spent on capital expenditure. He claimed that during the comparable period under the previous government, no spending was directed towards asset creation.
The minister said the coalition cleared pending salary arrears of about Rs20,000 crore owed to government employees within its first year in office. He also blamed the earlier administration for failing to secure matching grants for key central schemes such as Jal Jeevan Mission and AMRUT, which he said resulted in the loss of significant funds.
Parthasarathy further alleged that the previous government favoured Bharati Cements through price increases and directed nearly Rs 400 crore in advertisements to the Sakshi Media Group. He added that key projects such as the Polavaram irrigation project and the capital city Amaravati were neglected earlier but are now being expedited by the present government.
