Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday, November 15, said that the blunders and crimes committed by the previous government and the heavy debts raised by it have now become a curse for the State. The previous ruling dispensation created a history of looting the State with its inefficient administration, anti-development policies, ransacking the public properties, heavy taxes and introducing schemes only to resort to scams, the Chief Minister said in the state Assembly.
Making it clear that no wonders will take place overnight, Chandrababu said that more attention needs to be paid to fulfil the expectations of the people. "With the assistance of the Centre, we have saved the State which was on ventilation and is moving forward by building brick by brick," Chandrababu Naidu said, alleging the magnitude of destruction caused to the State by the previous government and the total amount of debts raised and the crimes committed by that ruling dispensation.
Stating that the people are the ultimate decision-makers in a democracy, the CM said that the primary responsibility of the ruling party is to work for the people. He said that an appeal has been made to the voters that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) should win the polls if people have to become victorious. The voters have come forward to elect the NDA with a fond hope that the State will march in a progressive path, he said.
Recalling Deputy Chief Minister, Pawan Kalyan's appeal to ensure that the anti-incumbency votes are not divided, Naidu said that the NDA received 93 per cent strike rate as the BJP too has joined hands. "This is a classic example of how the people reposed faith in all of us and 100 per cent we will stand by them to keep the promises made to them," he remarked.
The TDP President said even in 1995 when he was the Minister for Finance before becoming the Chief Minister, the situation in the combined State at that time too was not so bad. “Taking it as a challenge we had taken certain new initiatives then in the administration," he said.
He recalled that when the State was bifurcated in 2014 there was absolutely no revenue to the residual Andhra Pradesh. "Such was the situation that doubts were expressed if salaries and pensions would be paid on time. The TDP and the BJP together contested the polls in 2014 and the then government strived hard with the close cooperation of the people and had overcome the 22.5 million units power scarcity too," he said.
Making it clear that the power tariff was not revised even once in those five years, the Chief Minister said that the State had no capital after the bifurcation. "The farmers voluntarily came forward to donate 33,000 acres for constructing the capital city while 72 per cent of Polavaram works have been completed," Naidu said.
Alleging that the previous government had looted the State and caused destruction in a novel way, Chandrababu Naidu said that he never expected that a politician could easily escape after plundering the State so heavily.