Vijayawada: BJP state president Daggubati Purandeswari on Wednesday demanded that the YSRC government publish a white paper on loans it has raised unofficially.
Speaking to the media at the party headquarters here, she recalled that from the time YSRC took over government, the debt burden of the state has risen to ₹7,14,631 crore up to July 2023. Of these, ₹2,39,716 crore have been raised officially and ₹4,74,315 crore unofficially.
The state BJP chief pointed out that AP’s income is ₹1.25 lakh crore of which ₹50,000 crore is being paid as interest on the loans raised.
She said unofficial loans, raised through liquor bonds and even mortgaging government assets, have become a stumbling block for development of AP. She slammed the government for diverting even gram panchayat and State Disaster Management funds.
Describing AP as a state of debts, Purandeswari said Andhra Pradesh had a debt burden of ₹97,000 crore when the state got bifurcated in 2014. By the time the previous TD regime lost power, the debt had gone up to ₹3,62,370 crore. In the last four years the YSR Congress government has taken loans, raising the total debt to ₹7,14,631 crore.
She expressed concern that state government is failing to clear bills of contractors for the works done. She said some of the contractors have even committed suicide, unable to pay the huge interest on funds they mobilised to execute the works.
The state BJP chief said owing to poor financial situation, employees are not being paid their wages regularly, while retired employees are unsure of getting their retirement benefits.
She said though the centre has been cautioning the state government, the latter continued to raise unauthorised loans. She maintained that the centre would not take responsibility for loans raised unofficially and vowed to take up the issue to the notice of union finance minister Nirmala Sitaraman, seeking her intervention.
With regard to political alliance with other parties during the upcoming polls in the state, Purandeswari said their political ally in AP is Jana Sena. She underlined that their party’s national leadership will take a decision on the issue of allies at an appropriate time. She informed that she will talk to Jana Sena leaders soon.
