The national president of the BCY Party, Bode Ramachandra Yadav, has launched a fierce criticism against the ruling coalition government in Andhra Pradesh. He accused the administration of plotting to squander thousands of crores of rupees belonging to the public under the guise of constructing a statue of NTR and developing a memorial park in Amaravati.
A Scathing Indictment of Fiscal Priorities
In a press statement released on Friday, Ramachandra Yadav painted a grim picture of the state's finances. He pointed out that the government is in such a dire financial condition that it is struggling to borrow money even to disburse monthly salaries to its employees and pensions to retired staff. "In such a grim situation, attempting to melt away the hard-earned money of the people in the form of bronze statues reflects how badly misplaced the govt’s priorities have become," he stated.
He highlighted the contradiction where welfare schemes are being reduced and development funds are reportedly unavailable, yet the government is planning a massive project involving 3,500 tonnes of bronze at a staggering cost of Rs. 1800 crores. He termed this plan the "height of administrative foolishness."
Public Money for Public Welfare, Not Statues
Ramachandra Yadav was unequivocal in his stance on the use of state funds. "People’s taxes and the loans raised by the govt should be spent on public welfare and the state’s development, not for political interests or for erecting statues of party leaders," he asserted. He challenged the government and its supporters, saying that if they genuinely revered NTR, they should build the statues using their own money or through party donations, assuring that no one would object to such private funding.
He dismissed the government's cultural arguments invoking "Telugu pride" and "Telugu glory" as mere deception. "True Telugu pride lies in feeding the poor, and true Telugu glory lies in providing jobs to unemployed youth, not in bronze statues," he remarked. While he welcomed the ancillary idea of setting up libraries and knowledge hubs, he lamented their linkage to "statue politics." He argued that allocating those funds to strengthen existing libraries and research facilities in government schools and universities would benefit lakhs of students.
A Warning of Political Resistance
Calling the ministers' claims of seeking public opinion "laughable," Ramachandra Yadav claimed that no ordinary citizen or taxpayer would ever endorse spending public money on statues. He issued a stern warning, declaring that "if the govt stubbornly moves even one step forward, the BCY Party will lead a movement to stop the construction of any statue using public funds."
He firmly stated that no government has the right to misuse public money and that addressing people's basic needs and improving living standards must come first. "We will not silently tolerate the misuse of funds in the name of statue politics," he asserted. This criticism aligns with the stance of CPI(M) state secretary V. Srinivasa Rao, who had also strongly condemned the government's decision to spend Rs. 1800 crore on the NTR park and statue in the capital city.
