Chandrababu Is Killing Small Industries, Disintegrating Their Families: YS Jagan

Chimakurthi: YSR Congress Party Chief and Leader of the Opposition in AP Assembly YS Jagan Mohan Reddy mounted a scathing attack on the TDP rule and said that all the industries in the state were reeling under crises and were ready to be shutdown due to lopsided policies adopted by the government.

Addressing a massive public meeting at Chimakurthi as part of Day 100 of Praja Sankalpa Yatra today, the YSRCP Chief alleged that about one lakh people are earning a living through granite polishing industry. However, the chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu drove families dependent on the industry into the abyss of poverty, YS Jagan pointed out. The industries were facing severe crisis as the TDP government had steeply increased royalty and power charges, he told at the public meeting.

"During my padayatra, people poured out their woes to me as to how the TDP government's policies have brought misery into their lives," YS Jagan said. Royalty charge was Rs 3,000 in the united Andhra Pradesh during the YSR regime. After industrialists had requested late Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, the royalty charge was brought down to Rs 1800. However, after Chandrababu came to power, the royalty was increased to Rs 4,000. So far, the TDP government has hiked the price of power to Rs 7.35 per unit, he said.

YS Jagan assured the people that power charges would be brought down to Rs 3.75 per unit after their party coming to power in 2019 and also mentioned that the royalty subsidy of 40 per cent will be given to the industries. "If the small scale industries are not protected, our children will have to migrate to other states in search of livelihood," YS Jagan said.

He expressed his surprise over the district, which has over one lakh workers, not having ESI hospital and promised to build ESI hospital in the district as soon as his party comes into power.

He questioned the claim of Chandrababu of developing the state and pointed out that thousand of farmers have fallen into a debt trap. He also questioned Chandrababu on the migration of youth to other states in search of jobs. “Whatever happened to Chandrababu Naidu’s tall claims of providing jobs?”, he said. "Is it fair to claim that 40 lakh jobs have been generated in the state when there is nothing that has happened? Why should he claim to have got investments to the tune of Rs 20 lakh crores when in reality not even Rs 5000 crores of investment has come to the state?" YS Jagan observed.

The YSRCP Chief ridiculed Chandrababu by saying that he was taking the help of a film director to build a state capital. He pointed out that the present government has pushed the state into penury by accumulating a debt of Rs two lakh crores over the last four years. He questioned the CM's integrity with regard to achieving Special Category Status for the state. "I will explain the importance of SCS. If the state gets this, we will have more industries coming to set up here. We will have tax rebates for 15 years, there will be no GST, we can have lesser power tariffs," YS Jagan pointed out.

The Leader of the Opposition mentioned that the CM was afraid that the centre will not give Rs 40,000 crores for completing the Polavaram if SCS was given to the state. "It is not true. According to the state bifurcation act, the centre has to bear complete expenses of Polavaram," he specified. He accused Chandrababu of propagating false information to people and added that the electorate would teach him a lesson at the hustings.

YS Jagan pointed out that he would go a step ahead of his father, Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy who had constructed 48 lakh houses for the needy in the state during his rule, and build houses for all the poor in the state when his party comes to power and added that the houses would be registered in the name of the girls in those households.