Former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's five-year tenure saw Rs 222 crore drawn from the state treasury for air travel, a figure that has reignited a fresh political war of words in Andhra Pradesh over the use of chartered flights by Jagan Reddy and Minister for Human Resources Development Nara Lokesh.
The controversy began when YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leaders accused Minister Nara Lokesh of frequently flying to Hyderabad and misusing public money.
However, a recent RTI filed by Kodamala Suresh Babu revealed that none of the departments headed by Lokesh paid for the minister's travel expenses.
Lokesh, who holds Higher Education, Skill Development, Information Technology, and Real-Time Governance, had his department clarify through the RTI that the minister paid for his 77 Hyderabad trips from his own pocket.
Denying the misuse of public money allegations made by the YSRCP, the ruling TDP called the opposition's claims "blatant lies" and hit back by releasing new figures about air travel expenses during Jagan Mohan Reddy's tenure as chief minister.
Documents from the Andhra Pradesh Aviation Corporation Ltd (APACL) show that the government spent Rs 222.85 crore on air travel between 2019 and 2024. The annual breakup includes 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.
The data further reveals Rs 112.50 crore spent on fixed-wing aircraft, Rs 87.02 crore on helicopter charges, and Rs 23.31 crore on operational costs like crew and handling.
The TDP drew a sharp comparison on social media, highlighting that while Lokesh used personal funds for all his official trips in 18 months of NDA government, Jagan Reddy's five years in office saw Rs 222 crore drawn from the state treasury for air travel.
"In 18 months as a minister, Nara Lokesh did not take even a single rupee from the government for helicopters/special flights used for his tours. In 60 months as Chief Minister, Jagan spent Rs.222 crores from the government treasury for helicopters/special flights used for his tours," TDP wrote on X.
