The YSR Congress Party government is out to cheat the people of North Andhra in the name of decentralised development, alleged Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leaders at the ‘Uttarandhra rakshana charcha vedika’, a debate on development of the region, organised at the party office here on Monday.
In the name of making Visakhapatnam as the Executive capital of the State, the YSRCP government wants to sell lands in the district and mint money, they alleged. There was no development in the region ever since the YSRCP government came to power, the TDP leaders alleged, at the debate, organised on the direction of the party chief and former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.
They claimed that whatever development, be it irrigation projects in Srikakulam and development works in Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam districts, was all initiated during the TDP rule. The YSR Congress Party government had stalled the projects taken up during the previous government, by driving away investors, they alleged.
Senior party leader and former Union Minister P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju alleged that the YSRCP government was spreading a lot of ‘misinformation’ and ‘disinformation’ on development by referring to a huge hoarding, which he saw on his way to the meeting, which says that Visakhapatnam would be developed by 2041.
On the allegations of the ruling party that about 800 acres of land, belonging to the Simhachalam devasthanam, was missing from the records, Mr. Raju wondered whether the government has the survey numbers, pertaining to the missing land. The YSRCP government claimed that it has saved 500 acres of land in the Bhogapuram International Airport but it has done away with the Maintenance Repair Overhaul (MRO) and the Cargo Complex, which could put the region on the fast-track mode to development, he said.
Party State president K. Atchannaidu said that the successive governments had neglected the region though it has rich natural resources, a long coastline and hard working people. He claimed that it was the TDP, which brought recognition to the region by bringing irrigation projects and establishing industries and thereby generating employment.
He explained that the TDP was committed to Amaravati as capital of the State though it has lost the election. Former Ministers Kala Venkata Rao, Nimmakayala Chinarajappa, Ch. Ayyanna Patrudu and Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy said that the meeting was meant to create awareness among the people on the need to question the government on the injustice being done to the region.
MLAs, MLCs and party leaders and activists from the three districts participated in the meeting.
