Vijayawada: The ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) holds the distinction of being the political party with the second highest number of billionaire ministers. In the Andhra Pradesh assembly, six out of 25 ministers are billionaires, of which five are from TDP and one is from Jana Sena. Karnataka ranks first in terms of the highest number of billionaire ministers, followed by Andhra Pradesh, thanks to the TDP.
According to a report published by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) along with the National Election Watch (NEW) on Thursday, while union minister Dr Pemmasani Chandrasekhar tops the list of billionaires with the highest assets declared, he also holds the first position with the highest liabilities against him.
Among the top 10 billionaire ministers in the country, four are from Andhra Pradesh. Along with Pemmasani, chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Nara Lokesh, and P Narayana find a place in the top 10 billionaire ministers list.
The report said 96% of TDP's ministers, including two ministers in the union cabinet, having criminal cases against them, the highest in the country. Except for TG Bharat, all other ministers of TDP face criminal cases,
The report analysed the election affidavits submitted by candidates from different parties who subsequently became ministers.
It examined the affidavits of ministers in 27 states, three Union Territories, and the union cabinet. The Andhra Pradesh cabinet has 25 ministers, including the chief minister, of which 21 are from TDP, three from Jana Sena, and one from BJP.
The TDP has 23 ministers, including union ministers K Rammohan Naidu and Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar. Of the 23 ministers, 22 have criminal cases against them, with 13 facing serious criminal charges. The only minister from BJP has no cases against him. Only three ministers from the state cabinet, one from each of the three parties in the coalition, have no cases against them.
The report analysed declared criminal cases, assets, and educational qualifications of 643 ministers in states and the Union cabinet.