Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Y S Sharmila on Thursday issued a sharp condemnation of the Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission’s (APERC) draft proposals seeking a substantial electricity tariff hike. She said the move is in complete contradiction to the poll assurances given by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu during the 2024 elections.

In a statement issued here on Thursday, Sharmila expressed concern that while the Chief Minister continues to publicly claim that electricity charges will not be increased, APERC has already initiated steps to impose an additional Rs 15,651 crore burden on consumers. She pointed out that a public notice has been issued seeking objections, making it clear that the government’s actions and promises do not align. She described Chandrababu Naidu’s assurances as “deceptive, outdated, and utterly laughable.”

The APCC chief alleged that the government, within just 18 months of assuming office, has pushed households into financial distress through successive “adjustments.”

She said that nearly Rs 15,000 crore has already been collected through adjustment charges, and now another Rs 15,000 crore is being prepared to be levied in the name of tariff revision. She strongly criticised the government for burdening the very people who trusted and elected it, calling the justification of deficits a “recurring excuse to squeeze ordinary families.”

Sharmila demanded that the Chief Minister immediately respond to APERC’s proposals and make a clear public statement that the proposed burden will be borne by the state government, not by consumers. She also urged the government to withdraw the previously imposed adjustment charges, which have already caused severe hardship.

She said the government must uphold its promises with integrity. Failing to do so, she warned, would amount to a betrayal of public trust and further erode confidence in the administration.