People suffered while he flew in luxury. YS Jagan Mohan Reddy YSRCP president 

Metro India News | AMARAVATI

A major political controversy has erupted in Andhra Pradesh after official records revealed that former Chief Minister and YSRCP president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy spent an astonishing Rs. 222.85 crore on helicopter and chartered flight travel during his five-year tenure. Responding sharply to these revelations, Education and IT Minister Nara Lokesh launched an aggressive attack, accusing Jagan of indulging in unrestrained luxury while the people of the state struggled for basic necessities.

The data released through AP Aviation Corporation Limited (APACL) shows year-on-year expenditure on chartered flights and helicopters from 2019 to 2024. What has shocked many is that the expenditure remained high even during the Covid lockdown period, when public movement was heavily restricted.

According to the records, Jagan spent Rs. 31.43 crore in 2019-20, Rs. 44 crore in 2020-21, Rs. 49.45 crore in 2021-22, Rs. 47.18 crore in 2022-23, and Rs. 50.81 crore in 2023-24, taking the total to Rs. 222.85 crore. Of this, Rs. 112.50 crore went towards aircraft charges, Rs. 87.02 crore for helicopter services, paid to GMR Aviation Pvt. Ltd. and another Rs. 23.31 crore for miscellaneous operational costs.

Slamming Jagan’s spending, Lokesh said the state’s people were desperately searching for employment opportunities and basic amenities during the YSRCP regime, yet the then Chief Minister had no hesitation in splurging public money. He accused Jagan of living lavishly at taxpayers’ expense, pointing out that he not only spent Rs. 222 crore on flights but also built a Rs. 500-crore palatial residence. Lokesh remarked that while Andhra Pradesh needed a leader with vision, Jagan behaved as though the entire state was his personal vacation spot. He further stated that the true scale of extravagance is now coming to light only after a change in government.

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) quickly amplified the criticism by drawing a direct comparison between Jagan’s spending and Lokesh’s. Citing an RTI response, the party highlighted that during his 18-month tenure as a minister, Nara Lokesh did not take even one rupee from the government for helicopter or special flight travel. The RTI reply confirmed that Lokesh personally paid for all 77 of his Hyderabad flight tickets, placing absolutely no burden on the state treasury. This, the TDP argued, stood in stark contrast to Jagan’s five-year expenditure of Rs. 222 crore.

The political narrative has intensified as the new figures raise serious questions about the spending priorities of the previous administration. With the TDP framing the contrast as an example of responsible governance versus reckless extravagance, the issue has quickly become a focal point of political debate in Andhra Pradesh.