*Chandrababu spends public money for publicity but not people*

Tadepalli, Sept 26: YSRCP State spokesperson Putha Siva Shankar said Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s “publicity obsession” had reached its peak, with public money being spent on promotion while farmers, unemployed youth, employees and journalists were left without relief.

Speaking at the YSRCP Central Office, Sivashankar said Rs. 330 crore had already been allocated to I&PR and questioned the need for another social-media influencer mechanism when official PR, print and electronic media already existed. The State Cabinet has approved a framework to empanel social-media influencers to publicise government programmes.  He said paying influencers up to Rs. 1.5 lakh a month, while the promised Rs. 3,000 unemployment allowance remained unpaid, was meant to benefit TDP and ITDP-linked accounts. Fake followers and bots could be bought easily, he said, raising concerns over diversion of public funds. He pointed out that even Eenadu had reported influencer frauds.

He said opposition accounts were being suppressed while fake IDs were created, and journalists and neutral voices were being harassed in the names of police and federal agencies. He also questioned restrictions on YSRCP’s official social-media accounts in India and demanded answers on Meta’s role.

He challenged the government to make influencers speak about Amaravati flooding, Rayalaseema drought, Super Six promises, the ₹1,500 promised to women, fee reimbursement, pending DA and IR, and medical colleges which YSRCP says were 80% complete but are now being moved towards privatisation. “Can graphics and reels hide these realities?” he asked.

Crops had been damaged by heavy rains and cyclone conditions in North Andhra while farmers lacked support. He criticised the Home Minister for making reels at barrages, questioned action against protesting employees in Srikakulam, and attacked Chandrababu for travelling abroad during the crisis, contrasting it with his earlier publicity around Hudhud.

Free crop insurance had been withdrawn, journalists’ welfare and health benefits neglected, and public money prioritised for publicity instead of farmers, employees and the unemployed.