One Year of TDP: From Super Six To Super-Sized Betrayal
Empty promises, illegal arrests, massive borrowing, and vendetta politics – that’s the short description of TDP’s governance over the last one year.
The TDP, in alliance with Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena, and the BJP, stormed to power in Andhra Pradesh on its Super Six Promises and the assurance to generate wealth.
One year on, the TDP has not only failed to implement the majority of its electoral promises, but it has also managed to push the State into a deeper financial crisis.
Super Six: A Quick Recap
In the run-up to the elections, Chandrababu Naidu and Pawan Kalyan promised to create 20 lakh jobs and provide ₹3,000 per month as unemployment dole. They vowed to extend ₹15,000 per annum to all mothers of school-going children, and an additional ₹1,500 per month to all women above the age of 18. They promised free bus travel to women across the State, three free gas cylinders per year, and ₹20,000 per year for farmers.
While it may appear to be a comprehensive manifesto, the promises fell flat as soon as the TDP formed the government.
From blaming the past YSRCP administration for pushing the State into deep financial distress to making a U-turn on the launch of the free bus scheme for women, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu adopted every tactic possible to divert public attention from his failure to implement the poll promises.
Under the TDP, only Deepam 2.0, meant to extend free LPG gas cylinders to eligible beneficiaries, saw the light of day.
The alliance government promised to generate wealth in the State and distribute it through various welfare schemes. However, in reality, all it has done is raise massive debts and use none of it for either welfare or development.
One Year in Power: TDP vs YSRCP
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and IT Minister Nara Lokesh have nothing to show as achievements to mark TDP’s one year in power. Their posts on X (formerly Twitter) reflect the same.
It is evident that the TDP has been dwelling on the past, focusing more on how it “swept out the dictators” instead of actually revealing its performance over the past year.
In comparison to the TDP’s lip service, the YSRCP, on completing one year in governance, displayed its achievements to the people.
To mark the occasion, the then Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy organized the ‘Our Governance and Your Suggestions’ program on May 25, 2020, to highlight YSRCP’s milestones.
At that time, he announced that the YSRCP had fulfilled 90% of its poll promises within one year.
He applauded the ‘Village Secretariat’ system, which turned out to be a boon during crucial times such as the COVID-19 pandemic as it decentralized governance.
Jagan highlighted the creation of jobs through these village secretariats, the State’s resilience in tackling the pandemic, and the boost to English medium education.
TDP Government’s Achievements in One Year
In the one year since coming to power, the TDP government has successfully managed to push the State to the brink of a debt trap. At ₹1.01 lakh crore in budget borrowings, the Chandrababu Naidu government has borrowed 44% of the total debt incurred by the previous YSRCP government.
Additionally, the government has accumulated crores through off-budget borrowings, including raising ₹3,489 crore from APMDC and ₹31,000 crore from the World Bank, the Germany-based KfW, and the Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited (HUDCO) for the development of the Amaravati capital city.
After one year in power, the TDP-led alliance has largely failed to translate its grand promises into action. Instead of progress and prosperity, the administration has left the State grappling with deepened financial distress, unfulfilled welfare schemes, and a glaring lack of tangible achievements.
