Nadendla Manohar slams Jagan over remarks on Pawan Kalyan, welfare schemes

Vijayawada: Civil supplies minister Nadendla Manohar came down heavily on former chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, accusing him of making statements with “half knowledge and incomplete information” on public issues and welfare schemes. Speaking at a press conference in Tenali on Thursday, the state civil supplies minister and Jana Sena PAC chairman strongly condemned Jagan’s remarks against chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu and deputy chief minister Pawan Kalyan.

Manohar questioned Jagan’s criticism of Pawan Kalyan’s public tours, stating that the deputy CM was spending his own hard-earned money for public outreach, unlike the previous YSRCP govt, which allegedly spent Rs 222 crore of public funds on helicopter travel alone.

Raising several pointed questions, Manohar asked, “Does Jagan know how many LPG connections exist in the state? Does he know how many beneficiaries are covered under Deepam-2 and what the eligibility criteria are?” He said the coalition govt has been implementing the Deepam-2 scheme continuously since Nov 2024 and released subsidy amounts in five phases, benefiting lakhs of families.

He also defended the govt’s midday meal programme implemented under the name of Dokka Seethamma. Manohar questioned Jagan’s allegations regarding food quality and said the govt was supplying super fine BPT and Sona Masuri rice to more than 41,000 govt schools and 4,000 hostels.

The minister further alleged that Jagan was attempting to create fear among the public by repeatedly using the term “Mavigen.” He also accused the former chief minister of insulting Amaravati farmers during his tenure and said people were now mocking such political statements instead of taking them seriously.

Manohar said the govt was implementing welfare schemes transparently and warned that misleading statements without proper understanding would draw a strong public response.