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As the campaigning concluded in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday, for the poll to be held on Thursday, a doubt is lingering in the minds of voters, especially in Krishna and Guntur districts. It relates to Amaravati, the new capital.
In interviews given to English and Telugu channels, the YSR Congress leader, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, described Amaravati as a huge scam perpetrated by Chief Minister.
‘Huge scam’
On Tuesday, the last day when Jagan campaigned in Mangalagiri constituency in Guntur district in the new capital region, he explained to the voters the huge scam allegedly perpetrated by N Lokesh, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s son and State IT Minister, is contesting from Mangalagiri as the TDP candidate.
Jagan said, “We also welcomed the decision initially, though we did not approve the method of arriving at the decision, and we had our reservations. But then the Chief Minister cleverly encouraged speculation on where exactly the capital will come up, knowing well the exact location and keeping it to himself and his friends and cronies, and giving an impression to the people that it might come up elsewhere.
“His friends, cronies and benamis bought huge parcels of lands near the present location, Amaravati, at throwaway prices. Then, he announced the location. Others who bought land at other locations lost heavily... And the scam did not stop there.”
He alleged that the Chief Minister acquired 33,000 acres from farmers through the land-pooling method, ensuring that the land-parcels of his cronies, friends and benamis were excluded from the core capital area.
“The prices of these lands abutting the capital area shot up. The farmers who have lost the lands are very unhappy. Then, the CM started allotting the lands in the core capital area to companies in the name of capital development. It is a huge scam, the biggest in the history of the State,” Jagan Reddy alleged.
On Tuesday, while campaigning in Guntur district, Chandrababu Naidu said, “If Jagan comes to power, all development in the State will come to a halt. In particular, Amaravati and the Polavaram project will suffer. He is not interested in Amaravati.”
This issue will have a bearing on the minds of the voters in two very important coastal districts — Krishna and Guntur — though the rest of the State will also be affected to some extent.
If he comes to power, what Jagan intends to do with Amaravati, which he describes as a huge scam, is anybody’s guess.
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