Tadepalli (Andhra Pradesh) [India], March 25 : Former Chief Minister and Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) President YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday strongly criticised Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, accusing the latter of indulging in "blatant credit theft" and misleading people over the ArcelorMittal steel plant.
Addressing a meeting with Addanki constituency leaders, local body representatives, and party cadres at the YSRCP central office, YS Jagan said that the groundwork for the steel plant was laid during his tenure and not by the present government.
YS Jagan stated that during his Davos visit in 2022, he had held discussions with Aditya Mittal (CEO, ArcelorMittal) and reached a preliminary understanding on setting up a steel plant in Andhra Pradesh. He added that the company had also agreed to invest Rs 4,800 crore in the Greenko project in Kurnool and that multiple locations, including Nakkapalli, were shown to the company, which was finalised before the elections.
YS Jagan questioned why Chandrababu Naidu was not speaking about the Bulk Drug Park project in Nakkapalli, which was brought during his tenure after competing with several states. He alleged that the present government deliberately created land disputes, leading to the stagnation of the project and loss of potential investments and employment opportunities.
Criticising the coalition government, he said it had failed to implement any of its election promises and had scrapped all welfare schemes introduced earlier. He remarked that super six schemes had turned into complete deception, adding that people were now openly discussing the failure of governance.
He further alleged that within two years, the state's debt had crossed Rs 3.37 lakh crore, with no visible welfare delivery. He claimed that revenue was not reaching the state treasury and instead large-scale corruption was taking place in sectors like liquor, sand, and mining.
He also said that the education, healthcare, and agriculture sectors were in decline, with students dropping out, hospitals withdrawing services under Aarogyasri, and farmers suffering due to a lack of remunerative prices.
YS Jagan also spoke about future opportunities for party workers, stating that the proposed increase in Assembly and Parliament seats would create more leadership roles, especially for SCs, STs, and women. He assured that in "Jagan 2.0," party workers would receive greater importance and opportunities.
He expressed confidence that public dissatisfaction with the present government would lead to its defeat in the next elections.
Among those present at the meeting were Bapatla district party president Merugu Nagarjuna, Addanki constituency in-charge Dr Chintalapudi Ashok Kumar, along with public representatives, senior leaders, and key party activists from the constituency.