VIJAYAWADA: AP Planning Board vice-chairman and YSR Congress MLA Malladi Vishnu challenged Telugu Desam leaders, including TD national general secretary Nara Lokesh to participate in a public debate on the development of Andhra Pradesh during the present Jagan Mohan Reddy government and previous N. Chandrababu Naidu regime.
The planning board vice chairman said this will amply prove the extent to which AP has developed during the YSRC rule while lagging behind when TD administered the state.
Participating in the Gadapa Gadapaku Mana Prabhutvam programme in Vijayawada city with deputy mayor Avuthu Sri Sailaja Reddy on Saturday, Malladi Vishnu maintained that this is the first time in the country when state government is going to the doorsteps of people and explaining to them the welfare and development programmes it has implemented for them.
“Gadapa Gadapaku is receiving a tremendous response from the people,” Malladi Vishnu remarked.
Refuting allegations of Lokesh that there has been no development in AP for the past three years, the planning board chief challenged the TD leader: “If you have the courage, you can come for an open discussion about how many investments have been made under whose rule. We will provide all the facts and figures of expenditures made during TD and YSRC rules.”
Vishnu accused Chandrababu Naidu and Nara Lokesh of trying to destabilise the state government unable to bear the good name Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has earned among people. He pointed out that ₹1.93 lakh crore have been so far directly deposited into accounts of brothers and sisters in the state under various welfare schemes without giving any scope for corruption. Hence, Naidu and Lokesh are trying to provoke people by making false allegations and hatching conspiracies.
The MLA pointed out that TD came to power in 2014 making many promises, including doles to the unemployed. “Neither did TD provide any stipend to youth nor did it extend them any jobs,” he remarked.
