Former Union Minister and Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Chinta Mohan on Saturday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA Government had scuttled the development of the Rayalaseema region during the last eight years, leading to unemployment and poverty.
Addressing a press conference at Srikalahasti, the Congress leader said that though the UPA Government had launched the multi-crore projects of BHEL-NTPC Mannavaram project, Srikalahasti-Nadikudi railway line, and Dugarajapatnam port in Tirupati parliamentary constituency during 2010-14, the NDA Government had halted their progress due to political vendetta. “This led to grave injustice to the people of Rayalaseema and south coastal areas, suppressing the employment generation in the region,” he said.
Dr. Chinta Mohan alleged that the BJP was fostering communal politics in the country, much to the detriment of peace and harmony, besides resorting to cheap electoral politics. He also flayed the claim of Union Home Minister Amit Shah that it was the BJP that contributed to the reservations for the OBC communities. Dr. Chinta Mohan said it was the Congress Party, which ushered in reservations for them.
Referring to the Amaravati capital issue, the CWC member felt that the agitation lacked the support of a majority of the districts. “Except for a couple of districts, there was no representation from other areas at the Tirupati public meeting, which proved that the issue is weakening and it required a wider political and public discussion,” he said.
“In 1954, there was a proposal to make Tirupati the capital of Andhra Pradesh, but it was granted to Kurnool. In 2014, again, Tirupati was projected as the possible capital of the State, but it also fizzled out due to political reasons. By not considering Tirupati as the capital, but choosing Amaravati, TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu did a serious blunder,” Dr. Mohan observed.
