RS 10 cr bribe for waiving 100 cr loan, alleges Cong

Vijayawada: Senior Congress leader Chinta Mohan on Monday launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led Central government and the current state coalition government, alleging widespread corruption, flawed policies, and the dismantling of crucial welfare programmes.

Addressing a press conference in Vijayawada, Mohan touched upon issues ranging from bank loan write-offs and rising fuel prices to the controversial Amaravati project and the alleged weakening of the MGNREGA scheme.

He asserted that corruption has escalated tenfold under BJP rule, claiming that “BJP leaders are swindling thousands of crores of rupees.” He accused the government of writing off lakhs of crores in bank loans, leading to massive illicit gains. “To get a Rs 100 crore loan waiver, one has to pay Rs 10 crore as bribe,” he alleged, stating that this sentiment is widely prevalent in Delhi, where he recently conducted an extensive ground assessment.

The former minister questioned the whereabouts of subsidies on crude oil, stating that India is receiving 60 per cent of its crude oil from Russia at subsidised rates. “Despite this, petrol pumps are not dispensing fuel for less than Rs 100 per litre,” he observed, demanding an explanation from the central government regarding the utilisation of these subsidies.

While clarifying that he is not against Amaravati, Mohan criticised the project’s concept as “a total failure.”

He said that the CRDA acquired 30,000 acres, and “if you dig an inch, you find water,” suggesting unsuitability for a capital. He also questioned the need for another international airport in Amaravati, just 30 km from the existing one in Vijayawada.

Mohan strongly condemned the state coalition government for allegedly “destroying” the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). He accused the government of diverting 90 per cent of MGNREGA funds, meant for labourers’ wages, towards “material charges,” leaving only 10 per cent for the workers.

Regarding the Talliki Vandanam scheme, Mohan alleged that the government’s distributed funds were ending up in “brandy shops”.

He demanded that funds for students’ education be directly credited to schools and colleges.

He also voiced strong opposition to the state government’s reported plans to reduce the number of schools in Andhra Pradesh from 35,000 (established during Rajiv Gandhi’s 1987 New Education Policy initiative) to 10,000.