AMARAVATI: Taking strong objection at the state government’s decision to sell the land in Amaravati, TDP national president and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu has said that YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has no moral right to put the precious lands donated by the farmers under auction block.
He said that the lands were pooled for the development of the capital city but not to sell them as real-estate business. “YS Jagan and his leaders branded Amaravati as a burial ground after coming into power. They unleashed destruction in the capital city in the last three years. I do not understand how the same leaders wanted to sell the land at Rs.10 crore per acre?” fumed Naidu.
Speaking at the meeting with the party strategy committee at the party office on Monday, Naidu said that Amaravati could have been an economic powerhouse of the state had YS Jagan government continued the projects proposed by his committee. He objected to leasing of the quarters constructed for the government employees. “We have planned quarters and bungalows for staff of secreatariat and senior officials, legislators and ministers. 70-80 percent of the constructions were also completed during the TDP regime. Instead of completing the balance work, YS Jagan left them in disastrous state resulting in increase in the cost of completion,” said Naidu. He said that he visualized building a global class capital city to bring AP out of red with several such infrastructure projects. He said that staff quarters would help improve the economies of the local farmers who sacrificed the lands for the capital city.
Naidu accused the state government of punishing the people with 'ulterior welfare cuts' on one side and 'unbearable tax burdens' on the other. TDP chief said that the ruling YSRCP could not increase its vote share in Atmakur by-poll though it had distributed lots of money. He said that the state government betrayed people in the name of welfare programmes and set arbitrary conditions only to reduce the number of beneficiaries. Naidu said that Amma Vodi beneficiaries came down by over 52,000 only due to the unreasonable conditions set by the government to reduce its burden. He criticized the government for increasing the age limit of single woman pension to 50 years from the previous 35 years.
