Sharmila slams government’s claims on growth rate

Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president Y.S. Sharmila . File | S. Sharmila on Wednesday (August 12, 2026) questioned the State government’s claim of achieving a 10.7% growth rate in the second quarter of 2025-26, alleging that the figures were being used to hide failures and mislead people.“Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s claims that Andhra Pradesh is outperforming the national average in economic growth amount to self-praise, while the State continues to face problems in employment, agriculture, law and order and other sectors,” she posted on X.Ms. Sharmila said while unemployment remained high and farmers were struggling to get remunerative prices and government support for their produce., Mr. Naidu claimed growth in the State.She also criticised the government over the Polavaram project, alleging that the proposed reduction in the dam height to 41.5 metres would undermine its intended benefits while affecting farmers. She questioned the government’s claims on reduced power tariffs, alleging that old charges were being imposed on consumers.On investments, she sought details of the projects claimed to have attracted investments worth lakhs of crores over the past two years, including how many of them had actually commenced and what infrastructure was being provided to them. Published - August 13, 2026 11:57 am IST