CPI State secretary K. Ramakrishna on Saturday accused the YSRCP government of betraying the people’s mandate by not fighting for grant of Special Category Status (SCS) to Andhra Pradesh.
Mr. Ramakrishna, along with party State assistant secretary J.V. Satyanarayana Murthy, told the media here that after coming to power, the YSRCP had forgotten to take up the issue by saying that the BJP-led coalition at the Centre had secured absolute majority on its own.
Commenting on the government completing one year in office, Mr. Ramakrishna said that the YSRCP, despite having 22 MPs and four Rajya Sabha members, had failed to make any mark in Parliament. Had the YSRCP wanted, it could have stalled the controversial bills on Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National register of Citizens (NRC).
Mr. Ramakrishna said the BJP would not have secured easy passage had the YSRCP MPs opposed the bills at the time of voting. He also wondered how an industrialist could be nominated to the Rajya Sabha on the recommendation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Prohibition, sale of lands
He said, while promising total prohibition at the time of elections, the YSRCP government had allowed sale of liquor even during lockdown and deployed police and teachers to ensure social distancing at wine shops.
The CPI leader said that in a desperate bid to raise funds, the government went to the extent of selling away lands of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) and government lands in Visakhapatnam and Guntur.
While the TTD land sale attempt was dropped following public outcry, the bid to auction government lands in Visakhapatnam and Guntur was stayed by the High Court.
Mr. Ramakrishna said that Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy was acting like a faction leader and only a coterie close to him was taking crucial decisions, reducing Cabinet Ministers to rubber stamps. The five Deputy Chief Ministers had not been vested with any powers, he said.
