A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi called up Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy and enquired about the measures being initiated by the state government to contain the spread of the contagion, Andhra Pradesh BJP president Kanna Laxminarayana on Monday accused the YSRCP leaders of misusing the funds disbursed by the central government for the aid of the poor in the state to its political ends.

Talking to mediapersons on the party’s 40th foundation day on Monday, Kanna accused the YSRCP leaders of distributing the funds granted by the central government to the people in the state by wrongfully claiming that the money was being distributed by party president and Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy. He also criticized the Jagan government that it had miserably failed to assess the corona situation and also failed to determine and identify the number of positive corona cases in the state. He urged the BJP workers to help the needy.

Telugu 360.com carried a report under the headline ‘Politics in the times of corona: YSRCP leaders in poll mode, distribute money’. YSRCP candidates who are in fray for the upcoming civic body, ZPTC and MPTC elections were caught on camera distributing money to the people in Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts.

The distribution of cash to the people has snowballed into a controversy. Senior TDP leaders including Yanamala Ramakrishnudu and Atchannaidu shot off a letter to Govenor Bishwa Bhushan Harichandan alleging that the YSRCP leaders were handing out Rs 1,000 cash to the people in violation of mode code of conduct in the state in view of the civic body elections. They also questioned why cash was being distributed by the YSRCP leaders instead of government officials.

Andhra Pradesh has so far reported 252 cases of corona, 190 of them linked to the Tablighi Jamaat religious congregation in South Delhi’s Nizamuddin. Kurnool tops the list with a total 56 positive cases of Covid-19, followed by Nellore with 34 cases and Guntur with 30 cases.