Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) President YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday, 17 September 2026, accused Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu of administrative negligence that has, according to Jagan, deepened the severity of a drought gripping the state. Jagan made the remarks during a video conference with YSRCP Regional Coordinators and District Presidents convened to review crop losses, water scarcity, and farmer distress across Andhra Pradesh.

Scale of the Drought

According to Jagan, Andhra Pradesh recorded a rainfall deficit of over 51 per cent from the start of the Kharif season through 16 September. He stated that 628 of the state's 688 mandals were facing drought-like conditions, with 332 mandals in severe drought. Against a normal Kharif sowing area of 76 lakh acres, cultivation was reported in only 56.4 lakh acres, leaving nearly 20 lakh acres unsown.

Crops including red gram, cotton, groundnut, maize, paddy, and fruit orchards were said to be severely affected. Farmers who proceeded with cultivation based on government assurances reportedly suffered losses ranging from ₹15,000 to ₹30,000 per acre.

What the Government Allegedly Failed to Do

Jagan alleged that despite Chief Minister Naidu's own warning about El Niño on 4 February, no follow-up action was taken. He claimed that through continuous rainfall deficits in June, July, and August, the state government did not declare drought-hit mandals, failed to arrange alternative seeds, did not supply fodder, and did not seek additional workdays from the Centre under the relevant rural employment scheme.

In a pointed political remark, Jagan said, 'The State is not suffering from the El Niño effect, but from the 'Yellow Niño effect',' an apparent reference to the colour of the ruling Telugu Desam Party's (TDP) flag.

Water Management Allegations

Jagan accused the state government of diverting Srisailam reservoir water toward power generation rather than supplying it to the drought-prone Rayalaseema region. He also alleged that the Naidu administration had stayed silent over Telangana's lift irrigation projects near Pulichintala, and claimed the government was compromising on the full storage capacity of the Polavaram dam project. 'When the rainfall deficit was clearly visible, the government remained busy switching on pumps, lifting gates and posing for photographs,' he said, according to a party release.

YSRCP's Demands

Jagan put forward a detailed set of demands, including the immediate declaration of drought-hit mandals, rescheduling of farmers' loans, and restoration of free crop insurance. He sought compensation of ₹15,000 per acre for unsown land and ₹25,000 per acre for damaged crops, along with an input subsidy outlay of ₹6,000 crore. Additional demands included payment of ₹41,000 in pending Annadata Sukhibhava assistance, restoration of zero-interest loans, fodder distribution, 150 additional workdays, uninterrupted power supply, free drinking water through tankers, and an 80 per cent subsidy on tanker costs to protect fruit orchards.

He directed party leaders to visit affected areas, meet farmers, submit district-level demands, and press the state government for immediate relief. He added that he would personally tour drought-affected regions based on the severity of conditions on the ground.

Party Leaders Present

The video conference was attended by YSRCP State Coordinator Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy, MP P.V. Midhun Reddy, MLC Lella Appi Reddy, former Minister Kurasala Kannababu, senior leader Sake Sailajanath, State General Secretary (Agriculture) M.V.S. Nagi Reddy, Agriculture Wing President Ginnuri Rama Rao, and former MLA TJR Sudhakar Babu, among others.

With Andhra Pradesh's Kharif output under severe stress and elections still fresh in political memory, the coming weeks are likely to see intensified pressure on the Naidu government to announce a formal drought relief package.