Communist Party of India (Marxist) State secretary V. Srinivasa Rao on Tuesday demanded a judicial probe into an alleged fake land deed racket in Prakasam district.
“Some erring realtors reportedly in collusion with the leaders of ruling YSR Congress Party and officials of the Revenue and Registration departments had perpetrated the scam in Ongole, Kangiri and Markapur in Prakasam district, among other places. Only a comprehensive probe by a sitting judge will help unravel the truth,” Mr. Srinivasa Rao said at a press conference here.
The current inquiry by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Prakasam police would not suffice as the police reportedly face political pressure in a series of 16 cases registered in the district, he said and referred to Ongole MLA Balineni Srinivasa Reddy taking the issue to the office of the Chief Minister and reportedly pressing for the transfer of officials probing the cases.
He also wanted the Jagan Mohan Reddy government to agree for an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the alleged liquor scam in the State. “It is unfortunate that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State president D. Purandeswari is silent now after initially demanding that the government reveal the names of the beneficiaries of liquor contracts earlier, only to blackmail the Jagan Mohan Reddy government with ulterior political motives,” he alleged.
He exhorted the ruling YSRCP and the opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Jana Sena Party (JSP) to ‘‘politically isolate the communal BJP’‘ at the Centre, which he said meted out a raw deal to residuary Andhra Pradesh post-bifurcation and curried favours with the corporate sector through monetisation of public sector units including Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, at throwaway prices.
Expressing serious concern over the prospects of a severe drought gripping Prakasam district and other parts of the State, he demanded a compensation of ₹25,000 per acre to each affected farmer.
