Rural Development Set Back During YSRCP Tenure, Alapati Rajendra Prasad Alleges
Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MLC Alapati Rajendra Prasad has claimed that rural development in Andhra Pradesh suffered during the YSR Congress Party’s (YSRCP) rule, accusing former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy of diverting funds meant for village development and relying on a parallel volunteer system instead of strengthening panchayats. According to TDP leaders, money allocated for grassroots works and local bodies was not properly used for basic infrastructure, while the volunteer mechanism, they allege, operated outside traditional village governance structures.
Rajendra Prasad and his party argue that this diversion hindered progress on essential services in rural areas and undermined elected sarpanches’ roles. They say the previous government’s focus on volunteers, paid modest stipends and tasked with delivering public services, detracted from empowering panchayati raj institutions and slowed overall development in villages.
The TDP’s criticism reflects ongoing political debate in the state over decentralised governance and rural investment as the current administration pushes to revitalise panchayat functions and village infrastructure.
Rural Development Set Back During YSRCP Tenure, Alapati Rajendra Prasad Alleges
