Stop loans by caretaker govt, TDP urges poll panel

Vijayawada: Accusing the outgoing state government is resorting to abuse of power, the TDP on Monday appealed to Election Commission to restrain this caretaker government from going for reckless borrowings and payments to favourite contractors.

In a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner, TDP state unit president Kinjarapu Atchannaidu sought the poll panel’s intervention to ensure Constitutional propriety and sanctity of people’s mandate.

“It is shocking that the state government has already exhausted the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) limit fixed by the Centre for the state by June 1, 2024 itself and much of these borrowings are after the Model Code of Conduct came into force. The payments after borrowing these funds are being used to make payments to their own firms and binami contractors thus abusing power,” Atchannaidu said in the letter.

Even on Monday, the state government raised Rs 4,000 crore loan only to make payments to contractors thus violating First-In-First-Out (FIFO) rule in the Comprehensive Financial Management System (CFMS), he said and informed the poll panel that the officials of the financial wing are hand-in-glove with the ruling party indulging in corrupt practices.

Since the counting of votes is slated for Tuesday, June 4, it is against the Constitutional propriety that the outgoing government is resorting to indiscriminate borrowings to please the ruling party leaders and to get some commissions at the cost of the established systems, he added.

“We, thus seek the intervention of the ECI and the Chief Election Commissioner to restrain the outgoing government from going to any kind of borrowings and payments till the counting results are announced,” Atchannaidu said in the letter and also sought an investigation against those officers responsible for this kind of irregular practice.