The opposition parties have been making a hue and cry about debts in Andhra Pradesh. They are scaring the people with the debt burden.
AP BJP chief Daggubati Purandeswari and her brother-in-law, TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu, have said that the state's debt had gone up to Rs 10 lakh crore.
Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan and TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh say that the state's debt had gone beyond Rs 7 lakh crore to Rs 8 lakh crore.
But the real picture of the state's outstanding liabilities (debt) was given by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Lok Sabha on Monday.
She said the state's total debt stood at Rs 2,64,451 crore in 2019, by the time the TDP government stepped down, and Jagan Mohan Reddy became the chief minister.
The debt went up to Rs 4,42,442 crore by March 2023, the Union Finance Minister told YSR Congress rebel MP K. Raghurama Krishnam Raju in Lok Sabha.
The rebel MP wanted to expose the Jagan Mohan Reddy government on the borrowings and provide some inputs to Jagan's critics.
But the real picture exposed by the Union Finance Minister on the Floor of Parliament shocked them.
TDP member Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu also raised a similar question in the Lok Sabha on Monday, which was answered by Union Minister of State for Finance, Pankaj Chaudhary.
The TDP MP sought information on the State debt as a percentage of GSDP and wanted to know if the Centre has taken any measures to hold AP accountable for the mismanagement of Central funds.
The Minister of State told the MP that the funds to the states are released based on the recommendations of the NITI Aayog.
The Minister also said that the funds are released only upon the fulfillment of the stipulated conditions, including a statement of utilization of funds.
So, what more do these people want regarding AP's financial situation and the borrowings by the Jagan Mohan Reddy government!