Chief Minister, Jagan Mohan Reddy, who has come to power by making a promise that he would pay Rs 3,000 pension per month and would revise it every year, changed tack after assuming power and failed to pay at least Rs 30,000 to each pensioner, observed president of the State unit of the TDP, Kinjerapu Atchen Naidu, on Monday.

“Now even in the letter addressed to the pensioners Jagan uttering the same blatant lies,” Atchen Naidu said in a press note released here. Pointing out that Mr Chandrababu Naidu, as the chief minister of the State, has increased the pension to Rs 2,000 by 2019 when it was Rs 200 when he came to power, the TDP State unit president said and also stated that the number of pensioners too increased from 34 lakh to 54.5 lakh during this period.

But Jagan Reddy has till now increased the pension only by Rs 750 but shamelessly claiming that he has done something great for the pensioners, he said. Also, during the TDP regime, Chandrababu allowed the pensioners to draw their amount anywhere, but now Jagan released a GO imposing certain conditions that the pensioners should stay within 15 km radius, Atchen Naidu noted.

This apart, notices were served on the beneficiaries that only one person from a family is eligible for the pension, Atchen Naidu said. “Though the total budgetary estimates during Chandrababu’s regime were merely Rs 7 lakh in five years, he has sanctioned pensions to about 20 lakh beneficiaries besides taking the total amount of pension to be paid to Rs 1800,” the TDP State unit president said.

However, now the budgetary estimates are over Rs 12 lakh cr but Jagan has sanctioned pensions only to 10 lakh persons, he added. For the first time in the State’s history, it is Chandrababu who has sanctioned pensions to kidney, thalassemia and other patients, Atchen Naidu pointed out. Also, Chandrababu has the credit of sanctioning pensions to Girijans, toddy-tappers, fishermen and other communities, he said and asked whether it is not a fact that though Chandrababu has sanctioned pensions for transgenders too, Jagan cancelled it.

“Jagan Mohan Reddy totally relied on uttering lies to come to power but even after coming to power too he is depending in the same only to mislead the innocent public,” Atchen Naidu said and advised Jagan that the people will not trust him any longer.