The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) on Saturday, 8 August launched a sharp attack on the White Paper presented by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, calling it a document with 'no substance' that misleads the public and serves as little more than a vehicle for self-promotion while disparaging the record of the previous government.

YSRCP's Core Objections to the White Paper

Speaking to reporters in Hyderabad, former Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath argued that the document conspicuously omits any reference to state revenues. 'The bulky document presented by Chandrababu — at no place does it mention revenues and the bluff is called when the claim of high growth rate does not concur with the falling state revenue,' he said.

Rajendranath also took aim at Naidu's characterisation of the state's fiscal deficit as 'a myth', calling the assertion 'not only ridiculous but highly irresponsible.' He questioned how the state government could claim an 11 per cent GSDP growth rate while Andhra Pradesh was simultaneously experiencing what he described as 'negative growth' in revenue.

Competing Fiscal Narratives

The former Finance Minister contended that state finances were under stress only during the 2019–24 period, asserting that the economy was 'rosy' between 2014 and 2019 under Naidu and has returned to health over the past two years under the current Telugu Desam Party (TDP)-led coalition. The YSRCP, however, disputes this framing, arguing that the party's own tenure saw strong performance on per capita income and revenue deficit metrics.

Rajendranath also alleged that borrowing figures cited in the White Paper were 'scaled down,' and that deducting outstanding loans would reduce the figure further. 'Time and again we have to come to rubbish his false claims and fudged figures,' he said.

Welfare Schemes and the 'Super Six' Promises

Rajendranath challenged Naidu to let citizens — farmers, women, youth, and students — assess governance for themselves, citing specific schemes such as Adabidda Nidhi, Talliki Vandanam, fee reimbursement, and unemployment stipends as benchmarks. He alleged that none of the TDP-led coalition's 'Super Six' poll promises had been fulfilled, with existing schemes merely 'copied' and scaled down.

He further pointed to a Parliament Question Hour exchange in which P. Mithun Reddy was reportedly informed that of 10 investment proposals, only two had been cleared — contradicting, he argued, the coalition government's claims of large-scale investment and job creation. By contrast, he credited former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy with creating 1.35 lakh jobs in village and ward secretariats, setting up village clinics, ports, and fish landing centres, and implementing Nadu-Nedu school upgrades.

Polavaram and Amaravati: Rival Claims

The YSRCP leader also claimed that it took the Jagan Mohan Reddy government two years to reverse damage allegedly done to the Polavaram irrigation project, and that it was Jagan who secured funds for the project's completion. On Amaravati, Rajendranath alleged that Naidu was 'pumping money into Amaravati, paying contractors exorbitant rates' while giving away prime land at 'throwaway prices' and privatising ports and medical colleges.

Political Signalling Ahead

Rajendranath cited what he described as growing public support for Jagan Mohan Reddy — evidenced by crowds at his public meetings — as evidence that citizens assessed their lives as better under the previous administration. The YSRCP's broadside signals that the party intends to use the White Paper as a sustained political flashpoint ahead of future electoral cycles. How the Naidu government responds to the specific revenue data challenge is likely to shape the next phase of this fiscal debate.