Daijiworld Media Network - Amaravati

Amaravati, Apr 21: Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday alleged that support for the rural economy has weakened under the coalition government led by N. Chandrababu Naidu.

In a post on X, the YSR Congress Party chief pointed to what he described as a slowdown in the implementation of MGNREGA over the past two years. Citing data from the Ministry of Rural Development, he argued that the scheme plays a crucial role in strengthening rural incomes and sustaining consumption.

Reddy noted that Andhra Pradesh had traditionally been among the stronger performers in executing the employment guarantee programme. However, he claimed that recent trends show a decline across key indicators such as labour budgets, number of participating households, and overall expenditure. According to him, this contraction has had a ripple effect on consumption levels, which he linked to slower growth in GST and sales tax collections.

He also criticised the ruling alliance, accusing it of being distracted by corruption-related concerns rather than addressing the needs of the public.

Meanwhile, Reddy is set to begin a three-day visit to his constituency of Pulivendula in YSR Kadapa district. He is scheduled to arrive on Tuesday evening and hold a public grievance meeting (Praja Darbar) at his Bhakarapuram camp office before staying overnight.

On April 22, he will travel to Ippatla village in Lingala mandal to meet the family of late party leader Sudhakar Reddy. He will later return to Pulivendula for another round of public interactions and conclude his visit the following day.