Amaravati: The Andhra Pradesh government’s order sanctioning Rs 73 lakh for doors and windows of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s residence here has come under flak from the opposition.
Leading the attack is N. Chandrababu Naidu, who himself was target of the ruling YSR Congress Party over living in an alleged illegal house.
The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President slammed Jagan for allotting the whopping amount when the state is in a fiscal mess.
“YSR Jagan’s government has allotted a whopping Rs 73 lakhs to fix windows for his house! Now that’s one super expensive view at the expense of state exchequer! This comes at a time when AP is grappling with fiscal mess caused by mismanagement in the last 5 months. Truly cringe-worthy!” tweeted Naidu.
Naidu’s son and TDP General Secretary Nara Lokesh accused Jagan of hypocrisy for sanctioning such a large amount while claiming that “he takes home Rs.1 as salary”.
The order, issued by Roads and Buildings Department on October 15, accorded administrative sanction for Rs 73 lakh afor supply and installation of aluminium windows/doors and miscellaneous works in camp residence and office block of the Chief Minister.
It was in February this year that Jagan had moved to the palatial house at Tadepally in Guntur district in the state capital Amaravati. The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) chief was then the Leader of the Opposition.
After the YSRCP’s massive victory in the elections held in April, Jagan was sworn in as the Chief Minister on May 30. Since then, the house has undergone several modifications and additional amenities were provided at the cost of the state exchequer, citing the security requirements. This included the Rs 1 89 crore for helipad and other amenities.
A road was also built for Rs 5 crore while another Rs 3.6 crore were spent on electrical works.
The latest order for doors and windows came handy for Chandrababu Naidu to launch a counter attack.
The former Chief Minister has been the target of the YSRCP for living in an illegal house on the banks of the Krishna river. In June, the government demolished ‘Praja Vedika’ adjacent to Naidu’s house. The conference hall was built at a cost of Rs 8 crore when Naidu was the Chief Minister.
The YSRCP government has also issued demolition notice to the owner of Naidu’s house.