Uproar in House as Jagan targets AP CM on spending on schemes

​Amaravati: Assembly on Monday witnessed uproar when Opposition leader Y S Jaganmohan Reddy targeted Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu alleging that Naidu was misleading the House with false claims of budget spending on various developmental and welfare schemes.

Heated exchanges took place between treasury benches and Opposition members supporting their respective leaders and YSRC members stormed the well and raised slogans demanding Speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao to allow their leader to speak. The slogans continued all along the speech by the Chief Minister in which he rebutted allegations of the Opposition leader.

After more than two-and-a-half hour long reply of Naidu on general discussion on budget, Jaganmohan Reddy alleged that the Chief Minister was misleading the House with false claims of budget spending on welfare and developmental schemes. In fact, he said, the state was in first place in corruption as per report of National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER).

Showing documents of state finance ministry, Jaganmohan Reddy said that the state government had spent Rs 103 crore to procure rain guns and spent Rs 1o crore a day to maintain them to protect crops in 2016 kharif season but all the 68 mandals of Anantapur were declared drought-hit. Surprisingly, a GO on rain guns was released on February 13, 2017, he said.

Clarifying on this, agriculture minister Prathipati Pulla Rao said the expenditure on rain guns did not exceed Rs 12 crore.
Jaganmohan Reddy also said Rs 620 crore was allocated for welfare of minorities in last year’s budget but spent only Rs 472.94 crore. The allocation for BC welfare was Rs 4,060 crore but spent Rs 2,887 crore only and Rs 1,000 crore was allocated for Kapu Corporation but spent only Rs 338 crore, he alleged.

Reacting to this, finance minister Yanamala Ramakrishundu said, “Jaganmohan Reddy have no idea on fiscal management. He is claiming revised estimates in February as revised expenditure of budget. In fact, the finance department will receive CAG estimates on expenditure after March 30 only”.

When Jaganmohan Reddy tried to continue his tirade against the government, TDP MLA Gorantla Butchaiah Chowdary raised point of order and told Speaker that Opposition leader must confine to asking clarifications from the Chief Minister but not to give speech.

Speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao also suggested to Jaganmohan Reddy to confine to clarifications. “Clarifications and speech are different. The Chief Minister has given reply. So clarifications are only allowed”.

However, continuing his speech, Jaganmohan Reddy said as per promise of state government, at least Rs 40,000 crore should be allocated for the scheme of unemployment allowance but the actual allocation in the present budget was Rs 500 crore only. With heated exchanges between ruling and opposition members, Speaker gave chance to the Chief Minister to clarification.

The YSRC members stormed well and raised slogans against the Chief Minister and demanded that their leader should be allowed to speak. Amid slogans, Naidu said the YSRC leader was sent to jail for his misdeeds but the state government was committed to eradicate corruption in the state.

“You (YSRC members) have seen what happened in Kadapa MLC election. The same victory will repeat in 10 graduate constituencies,” he said. The Chief Minster also said the Opposition was creating obstacles for development and there was no use with the YSRC leaders to the state.