The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) has called for a statewide protest on Friday over the alleged steep hike in power tariffs by TDP-led Andhra Pradesh government. YSRCP claimed that Rs. 15,485 crores in charges were levied in just six months. This includes Rs. 6,000 crores in November bills and a projected Rs. 9,412 crores for December.
To address these alarming hikes, YSRCP during the protest will submit memorandums to divisional engineers and other officials at electricity offices. The party demands immediate relief for citizens burdened by the escalating costs.
"Within six months' time, Chandrababu (CM) steeply hiked prices (power tariffs), levying an additional burden of Rs 15,000 crore on the people of the state," said YSRCP in a post on 'X'.
YSRCP leaders highlighted that power tariffs have risen by 25-55% even during the winter season, raising concerns about rates in the upcoming summer. Despite a 1.17% drop in power demand compared to last year, they noted ongoing unofficial load shedding, which they attribute to the inefficiency of the TDP government.
Dr. Nagarjuna criticised the cancellation of 200 free electricity units previously provided to SC/ST families. He drew a comparison to the YSRCP government's tenure during which Rs 47,800 crores were allocated as subsidies to DISCOMs between 2019 and 2024. This, he noted, was significantly higher than the Rs 13,255.76 crores spent during the TDP’s administration from 2014 to 2019. He accused TDP leader Chandrababu Naidu of breaking public trust with unfulfilled promises, including the widely publicized "Super 6" manifesto. Additionally, Dr. Nagarjuna recalled past grievances, such as the 2000 Bashirbagh firing on farmers protesting for their rights.
Earlier, Andhra Pradesh Energy Minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar alleged that former Chief Minister YS Jagan Reddy turned a power surplus state into a deficit one.
"When the Telugu Desam Party (led government) handed over power in 2019, Andhra Pradesh was a power surplus state. However, Jagan's government turned it into a power deficit state within five years due to poor decisions and corruption," said Kumar in a release.