Naidu claims credit for progress made under YS Jagan

Tadepalli, Nov 10: YSRCP state spokesperson Putta Siva Shankar accused Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu of taking credit for progress achieved during Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s government. Speaking to the media at the party office, he said the latest Access (In)equality Index ranking reflects earlier development, not the coalition government’s work.

The index, prepared by the Centre for New Economics Studies at O.P. Jindal Global University, assesses education, healthcare, basic services and social security. Andhra Pradesh ranked 10th in the 2021 report, based on 2014–19 data. It rose to third in 2024 under YS Jagan and is now second, Shankar said, adding that the latest ranking still reflects the earlier government’s work.

He cited Nadu-Nedu school upgrades, Aarogyasri, new medical colleges, more than 50,000 health-sector jobs, village secretariats, RBKs, village clinics, direct benefit transfers, ports and fishing harbours as examples of that work.

Shankar alleged that state tax revenue fell from Rs 89,435 crore in 2024–25 to Rs 86,552 crore in 2025–26—a 3.2% decline. He said the coalition is borrowing an average of Rs 460 crore a day and has taken Rs 3,99,498 crore in 29 months. He put per-capita debt at Rs 2,11,588 and warned it could reach Rs 5 lakh in two years.

He said Andhra Pradesh’s Ease of Doing Business ranking fell from first to eighth and said industries are leaving. He also cited unemployment of 21% in Andhra Pradesh against a national average of 14.6%, calling it the country’s third-highest rate.