How development of the State is possible when the borrowed funds are diverted, asked former Finance minister and TDP politburo member, Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, here on Friday.

Talking to media persons at the party headquarters, Ramakrishnudu felt that there is absolutely no comparison between the budgetary allocations and the actual expenditure at the ground-level. The former Finance minister made it clear that the State stood in 19th position in the country in the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme which the Jagan Mohan Reddy Government boasts of.

Making it clear that there is nothing great in the 2023-24 budgetary proposals, Yanalama felt that even in the last fiscal too the State Government has not given any priority for welfare and development. Terming Chief Minister, Jagan Mohan Reddy, as a king worse than Nero, the TDP politburo member predicts that the State’s debt burden will cross Rs 11 lakh cr by that time the YSRCP Government is out.

“Ultimately, the people have to bear this debt burden and the interest to be paid. The budgetary proposals clearly indicate that the Jagan Government did not give any preference for development and welfare even in its last year of tenure,” Ramakriashnu observed.

He opined that the physical infrastructure in the State is hit badly as the State Government is projecting high allocation of budgetary estimates while in reality the expenditure is very limited. The academic and health sectors were totally destroyed during the YSRCP rule and the hospitals are not extending medical services to the poor as the bills are not being paid, he stated.

Since all the revenue generation sectors are badly affected and the investors are not willing to set up their units in the State, unemployment has gone up heavily, Yanamala felt. The State Government policies are the main reason for the farming, industrial and service sectors being affected very badly, the former Finance minister maintained.

“Compared to the TDP regime, the percentage of the manufacturing sector now is -4.5 while the percentage of the construction sector is -2.6,” he said, adding that the industrial and service sectors too are hot very badly after the YSRCP came to power.

Yanamala expressed surprise how new companies can start their units in the State when incentives are not being given to the existing companies.

Replying to media persons, Ramakrishnudu said that the results of the Legislative Council polls proved that Mr Jagan has done injustice to the State. “Jagan is totally dependent on money, politics and muscle power. The latest election results proved beyond doubt that these two will not work out,” Ramakrishnudu remarked.

TDP politburo member and leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council, Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, on Wednesday said that the Jagan Mohan Reddy Government does not have any respect for systems in the State.

Ramakrishnudu said that the State Government does not have respect even for Parliamentary system or even on the Constitution. Observing that the three capitals bill is totally against the Constitutional provisions, the Leader of Opposition in the Upper House said that the Cabinet Ministers give totally contradictory statements on the capital.

“One Minister says that Visakhapatnam is the capital while another Minister claims that the three capitals issue still in existence,” Yanamala remarked. The State Government is repeatedly committing blunders to cover up one mistake and the Ministers are behaving most irresponsibly, he observed.

Stating that the gap in the revenue and fiscal deficit have widened, the former Finance minister felt that the remarks made by officials that they faced fiscal problems in 2014 too are really surprising.

Ramakrishnudu asked as to why the State Government is silent though the TDP asked two to three times to come for an open debate on the State’s financial position. Can the State Government give a proper reply as to why more loans have been raised than presented in the budgetary estimates, Yanamala questioned the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).

Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council and TDP politburo member, Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, on Thursday made fun of the statements made by Chief Minister, Jagan Mohan Reddy, on corruption.

In an open letter to the public, Ramakrishnudu said that Jagan Mohan Reddy talking against corruption is like a vulture taking oath on non-vegetarian. “It is the biggest joke of the century that Jagan, who is on the top of the list of corrupt persons and who was in jail for 16 months whose name figured in 24 CBI and ED charge-sheets, asked his party leaders not to indulge in corruption,” Yanamala said.

Does this mean that the Chief Minister officially allowed his party leaders to mint money in the past 42 months, he asked and wanted Jagan to clarify on this. For the past three-and-half years, Jagan and his associates looted the State in sand, land, wine, mining and natural resources. “This kind of the Chief Minister is now alerting his party cadre not to indulge in corruption is totally ridiculous,” Ramakrishnudu added.

In his rule, Jagan turned Andhra Pradesh as the most corrupt-State and damaged the prestige of the State, he said and stated that now he started blackmailing his own Ministers, MPs and MLAs. The statement made by the Chief Minister a couple of days back that he will not tolerate corruption any longer clearly indicates that till now he officially allowed them to mint money, Yanamala observed.

The State occupied third position in the country for illegal mining and the sand, beach sand and bauxite mining in agency areas for the past three years is a classic example of this, he stated. The less said the better about the liquor mafia, he said and stated that Jagan and his associates made a whopping Rs 30,000 cr in liquor business and the Tadepalli Palace is filled with the money made out of land mafia.

In the name of making Visakhapatnam as capital, both Jagan and YSRCP MP, Vijayasai Reddy, illegally occupied lands worth over Rs 40,000 cr, Ramakrishnudu said. Even in the sale of properties belonging to the Visakha Steel, they minted huge money, he added.

Former Finance minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) politburo member, Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, on Tuesday said that the industrial sector, which is crucial for the development of the State, has been touching the rock bottom level in Andhra Pradesh for the past three-and-half years.

In an open letter to Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy, the former minister said that the State is caught in a deep financial crisis with reverse growth, large-scale unemployment and no investments. When the industrial and service sectors witnessed tremendous growth during the TDP regime, they are now moving in reverse trend, he said.

At least investments worth over Rs 17 lakh cr moved out of the state, including the Kia affiliated units to Chennai and Hyderabad, Ramakrishnudu pointed out. Industrialists like Luloo, Franklin Templeton and others cancelled their agreements with the State Government while the Asian Pulp Paper Industry, which is likely to set up its unit in Prakasam district, withdrew investments, the TDP politburo member stated.

Asking what is the fate of the Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor, Ramakrishnudu said that the future of the YSR Jagananna Mega Industrial Hub is also in dilemma. These are only some examples wherein the investors have gone back and the State Government has taken back the lands allocated to these industrialists. The result of this is there is no employment generation and also the youth lost their job opportunities, he said.

Though a special team represented the State at the Davos conference there are no investments attracted from any industry, Ramakrishnudu said adding that there is no encouragement for the investors from the Backward Classes (BCs), Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). “When the TDP was in power, we tried our best to identify the economic growth engines and focussed on them following which the GSDP has gone up. But now it is moving in the reverse direction,” the former Finance minister said.

The average growth index was in double digit when Chandrababu Naidu was the chief minister but in the past three-and-half years it has been confined to single digit, he pointed out. The State has fallen to the 13th position in attracting foreign investments, Ramakrishnudu said, adding that this clearly shows the commitment of the ruling party towards the overall growth of the State.

The situation is so bad now that the people of the State can not even say which is their capital, Ramakrishnudu said and asked who will come forward to invest in such a State. He advised Jagan to examine all these issues and take some corrective measures to help the State move forward.

Senior TDP leader Yanamala Ramakrishnudu demanded a high-level investigation into the quid pro deals in Kakinada Special Economic Zone and Visakhapatnam Bay Park area. Yanamala alleged that Jagan and his team had acquired prime lands in Rushikonda worth Rs 300 crore in various benami deals.

After amassing huge wealth through illegal means by misusing the office of his father Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, Jagan is now back at what he is best – benami transactions and quid pro quo deals.

“According the CBI chargesheet, Jagan accepted Rs 1,172 crore from various investors as a bribe and in turn helped them get favours from the state government. The favours are mainly land, mining leases and licences for new industries. 2004-2009 can be called the Quid Pro Quo I period when Jagan had amassed massive wealth. 2019-2020 can be the Quid Pro Quo II period,” Yanamala alleged.

The CBI in its First Information Report (FIR) had named 73 firms and individuals in connection with the quid pro quo case, apart from Jagan as accused number oneand his financial advisor V Vijayasai Reddy as accused number two, Aurobindo Pharma (accused three) and Hetero (accused four), Yanamala reminded.

Aurobindo and Hetero groups were allotted more than 60 ha on lease at Rs 17.5lakh a ha in the green industrial park of APIIC at Jadcherla in Mahbubnagar without proper assessment of requirement of land, Yanamala recalled.

After acquiring lands in Kakinada SEZ through benami and quid pro quo transactions with Aurobindo Group, Jagan has now usurped the lands in Vishakapatnam Bay Park area by entering into quid pro quo deals with Hetero Group.

“During the TDP regime, we have developed an eco-tourism project and Bay Park on 76 acres of land in Rushikonda at a cost of Rs 120 crore. The land is now worth Rs 300 crore and has exchanged hands. The government is handing over around 9 acres of land which is worth Rs 225 crore. This is a benami transaction. The central government should order a high-level probe into the land deal,” Yanamala charged.

He stated that the TDP will bring the issue to the notice of the central government and demand a thorough investigation into the Vizag Bay Park area benami and quid pro quo deals.

Former Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu has accused the Jaganmohan Reddy Government of running a feudalistic and unconstitutional regime in Andhra Pradesh in violation of the country’s federal-cum-unitary framework. He asked why AP Governor was not sending the ‘unlawful’ Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Bill and the CRDA Repeal Bill to the Central Government as per Article 200 of the Constitution of India. Inordinate delay was being caused in such an important Constitutional issue. The TDP leader demanded clarification why a lot of delay was being caused in reinstatement of Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar as State Election Commission. The reinstatement should be done as per the orders of the AP High Court and the Supreme Court of India. As these violations created a Constitutional crisis, the Centre should interfere and settle the issues without further delay. The Constitution named India as a ‘Union of States’ while Andhra Pradesh became an exception as it was being run by a feudalist who was violating all federal and unitary norms.

Mr. Ramakrishnudu asserted that as the courts have already said, Article 243 (k) was violated in Andhra Pradesh. Hence, a dire necessity has arisen for the Central Government to invoke Articles 355, 256 and 257 to make sure the AP Government would be run in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution of India. The TDP was not demanding Articles 356 and 360 for the President’s rule or financial emergency as of now. But, the Centre’s intervention was needed as the YSRCP Government’s 3 Capitals and CRDA Repeal Bills were grossly violating the AP Reorganisation Act 2014. The Two Bills indisputably came under the purview of the Reorganisation Act 2014 that was passed by the Central Government. It was not clear why the Centre was not interfering when these Bills were brought amid such gross violations. Though administrative, legislature and financial powers were demarcated between the Centre and the States, the Constitution gave key powers to the Centre under Articles 2, 3, 4, 200, 256, 257, 355, 356, 360, etc. Under these Articles, the Centre can interfere and bring back order in any State where the Constitutional violations crossed a tolerable limit.

Mr. Ramakrishnudu categorically said that the Governor should not sign on the two Bills without taking prior approval of the President as per Articles 200 and 201. Though the AP Government has the power to introduce these Bills, it cannot implement the same without the approval of the Central Government or the President. The Bills were in violation of AP Reorganisation Act 2014. So, the Governor has no option except to take prior approval of the President as per Article 200. It may be recalled the President signed on the Reorganisation Act 2014 on March 14 ‘for the reorganization of existing state of Andhra Pradesh and ‘for matters connected therewith’. The Section 5(2) Sub-Section (1) of Reorganisation Act has clearly mentioned the creation of ‘a Capital’ but not 3 Capitals. As part of this, Amaravati was identified and finalised as the new Capital City for AP in accordance with the Reorganisation Act. Hence, the Centre should interfere on the issue of the Two Bills just as it has suggested to the State Government not to go forward with the cancellation of PPAs of solar power companies. The question of violations of federal spirit would not arise as the Centre can interfere if a State Government crosses a line with regard to the Constitutional violations.

Mr. Ramakrishnudu said that the Constitution has laid down that none of the entities should cross their boundaries of authority but in Andhra Pradesh, this was being violated blatantly. Constitutional expert Prof. KP Mukherjee has clarified that India is federal in nature but unitary in soul. There is only one Constitution for the whole of India but there are not separate Constitutions for the States. Hence, the Centre should set things right in respect of the two unconstitutional Bills being pursued in AP now.

The YSRCP government’s multiple advisors are raising lots of questions on different public issues including the controversy-ridden two Bills relating to the Capital shifting. A latest question was asked by Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy, Chief Minister’s Advisor (Public Affairs), on whether the previous TDP regime took approval of the President of India or not for the construction of Amaravati. It has created a political storm. The Advisor was oblivious of the fact that Amaravati was identified and developed as per the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, which was passed with the express consent and approval of the President at that time.

TDP former Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu reminded the Government’s Advisor once again of how the Central Government formed the Experts Committee that recommended Capital for residual Andhra Pradesh in the region of Amaravati which is located in between the two cities of Vijayawada and Guntur. Based on this Experts Committee’s recommendation alone, Amaravati was finalised as Capital. Hence, it would require again the signature of the President and the approval of the Central Government for shifting Capital from its present location.

Mr. Ramakrishnudu, also TDP Floor Leader in Council, said that the President’s signature was required for any law made by the State Government if it violated an Act already being implemented by the Centre. The Section 5 (2) and Sub Section (1) in the Reorganisation Act clearly mentioned development of ‘a Capital’ but not 3 or multiple Capitals for AP. Whereas, Section 6 led to appointment of the Experts Committee for identifying ‘a Capital’. The CM’s Advisors should keenly study all these laws and sections so as to get clarity. Only then, they would be able to give proper and constructive advice to the State government.

Asking the Advisors to follow the bifurcation Act carefully, the TDP ex Minister said the AP Capital issue was inseparably interlinked with the Parliament Act. The TDP was only strongly objecting to the attempts by the ruling YSRCP to bring a different law through the backdoor. The State would have to mandatorily take the President’s consent for any law that it was trying to make in violation of a previous law passed by the Parliament.

Mr. Ramakrishnudu asserted that the two Bills brought by YCP were pending with the Select Committee in the Legislative Council. The AP Government Advocate General has already informed this to the High Court of Andhra Pradesh. From this, it was clear that the YSRCP regime adopted dual standards by taking the two bills for approval of the Governor while it already told the Court that the bills in question were with the Select Committee. This was nothing but proof of the AP government’s yet another irresponsible action in contempt of the High Court.

The TDP leader slammed the AP government for ‘violating’ the Constitution and democratic traditions by adamantly ignoring the laws approved by the President. Considering the rising public opinion against the government’s actions, the YSRCP rule should at least start respecting the President, Courts and the Parliament. It should say goodbye to its unilateral and unlawful activities with regard to the Capital issue and behave in a constructive way.

Former Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu has appealed to Governor Biswabhushan Harichandan to send the 3 Capitals and CRDA Bills being pursued by the AP Government for the consideration of the President of India.

He said that the Governor may take the opinion of the Attorney General of India (AGI) before taking a decision as the 3 Capitals bill (AP Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Act, 2020) and the CRDA bill (AP Capital Region Development Authority Repeal Act, 2020) were in violation of a Parliament Act and the Constitution of India.

Mr. Ramakrishnudu wrote a letter to the Governor, saying that the YSRCP Government was reportedly intending to send the twin bills for his assent (Governor’s) on the supposition that the Legislative Council did not approve the same in 30 days as per Article 197(1) and 197(2) of the Constitution. Whereas, the fact was that the Council did not even introduce the bills for discussion because they were pending with the Select Committee. Moreover, the matter regarding Amaravati capital city was also pending with the High Court of Andhra Pradesh and therefore it was sub judice.

Stating that any deviation at this juncture would be in violation of the Constitution, Mr. Ramakrishnudu said that as per Section 5 (2) of the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, enacted by the Government of India, Hyderabad shall be the capital of Telangana and there shall be a new capital for Andhra Pradesh. Further, as per the Section 6 of the Reorganisation Act, the Government of India constituted an expert committee for the study of various alternatives regarding the new capital and accordingly, Amaravati was finalized.

The TDP leader told the Governor that as per the Reorganisation Act, the Central Government shall facilitate the creation of a new capital for the successor State of Andhra Pradesh and, if considered necessary, by notifying degraded forest land. Therefore, the mandate was clear that the State of Andhra Pradesh is to have one capital and not more than that. Even according to the other enactments and the Constitution of India, a Capital city gives no other meaning other than the meaning of One Capital. Hence, the bills introduced by the present YSRCP-led Government come in conflict with the Reorganisation Act enacted by the Parliament in 2014.

Mr. Ramakrishnudu said that the Governor was under obligation to abide by the Constitution of the country and the law of the land to send the bills to the President. The YSRCP regime was making all attempts to ruin Amaravati and replace it with three capital cities. For this purpose, the bills were introduced and passed in the AP Legislative Assembly during the sessions held in January 2020. But the AP Legislative Council did not pass the bills and referred the same for Select Committees as per the ruling of the Chair.

The TDP leader said that the ruling party, with a mala fide agenda, tried to reintroduce the two bills in the Council during the June 2020 budget sessions by using muscle power. However, the Council did not introduce the bills since they were pending with the Select Committee. The question of Council rejecting the bills does not arise.